Important Distinctions, Terms, and Concepts:

What are the European Union (EU) and the (European) Community (EC)?

On the radio, the TV, and in the newspapers, one often hears the the acronyms "EU" and "EC" or "the Community," in what seems an analogous manner.  This can be misleading because there is a distinction to be made between the two.

The (European) Community (EC), formerly known as the European Economic Community, is an over-arching umbrella term used to encompass the three communities that exist in Europe today: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), Euratom, and the European Economic Community (EEC).  These communities were founded through the original treaties (ECSC: The Treaty of Paris, 1951; EEC and Euratom: Treaties of Rome, 1957, and amended as needed by the Single European Act (1986), the Maastricht Treaty on European Union (1992), and finally the Amsterdam Treaty (1997).

To better understand the place of the EC in Europe, it has been designated as one of the "three columns" that form the foundation of the European Union.  In other words, the EC represents one part of the bigger and even more over-arching idea of the EU.  For a diagram of the "pillar" concept, see How Does the European Union Work?, pg. 8.

The European Union.  The EU is "the single institutional framework" under which the member states of the Community gather (How does the European Union Work? pg. 6).  The EU came into being through the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, and is based on the "three pillars," one of which includes the EC.  The term "European Union" appeared chronologically after the EC had been created.  The EU, as a framework, thus encompasses all the progress made on integration, up until the Maastricht Treaty on European Union.  In the future, as integration proceeds further, it is predicted that the European Union will come to be known as the "Federal European Union."

The Treaties: In the initial stages of its conceptualization, the European Union was envisioned, in the words of Winston Churchill, as a "United States of Europe."  Even though the EU today is a unified group of states, much like the U.S.A., an important factor that differentiates it from the U.S.A. is the lack of a single Constitutional document.  The European Union and the European Community were not founded or based on a Constitutional document.  Instead, a series of treaties gave birth to the different governing bodies.  The governing bodies strive to create a degree of harmony in a range of policy areas, such as social, economic, and environmental policy, and to further integrate the different aspects of the Community. 

Below is a list and brief description of the most important treaties:
 
• THE ROME TREATIES, 1958:  These treaties set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).  These treaties also extended the common market for coal and steel to all economic sectors in the member countries.  The Rome Treaties were amended three times in the treaties that followed. Link: (www.eurunion.org)
• THE SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT (SEA), 1987:  Introduced majority voting on Single Market legislation and increased the power of the European Parliament. Link: (www.eurunion.org)
• THE MAASTRICHT TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION, 1991:  Strengthened integration, clearing the way for the completion of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) which involved the introduction of a single currency in 1999 and a European Central Bank.  The Treaty also launched the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and a Justice and Home Affairs policy which are managed at an intergovernmental level.  The Treaty on European Union marked the official birth of the EU as an over-arching supranational organization, held up by the three pillars of the CFSP, the Community (including the EC, Euratom, and the ECSC), and finally Justice and Home Affairs.  (A more in-depth explanation of the "three pillars" appears below). Link: (www.eurunion.org)
• THE TREATY OF AMSTERDAM, 1997:  This treaty furthered the reforms of Maastricht and also started reforms to make the EU institutions more efficient and effective, before the EU adds any more members.  The Amsterdam Treaty strengthened the CFSP and the EU's role in foreign policy, expanded the range of issues over which qualified majority voting occurs in the Council of Ministers (as opposed to unanimity).  Henceforth, member states will be allowed to abstain from votes without affecting the majority vote system.  And finally, a High Representative speaker was appointed so that the EU would speak with a single voice on foreign policy issues. For further information:


The European Union: A Guide for Americans.  Pg. 5
How Does the European Union Work?, pg. 11-14.

The Masstricht Treaty on European Union took effect in November of 1993.  This treaty involved a major overhaul of the first three treaties and created the "three pillar" European Union as it exists today.

1. European Community:

Treaty of Rome as revised by the Single European Act (p. 187
Single Market
Democratization of the Institutions
European Citizenship
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

European Central Bank:

Single monetary policy
Single currency
Coordination of economic policies

Common Foreign Policy:

Systematic cooperation on foreign and security policy
Common positions and joint action
Eventual common defense policy based on the Western European Union.

Closer Cooperation:

Asylum policy 
Rules on crossing the member states' external borders 
Immigration policy 
Combating drug trafficking
Combating internal fraud 
Customs, police, and judicial cooperation

For further information:

The European Union: A Guide for Americans, pg. 5

How Does the European Union Work?  Pg. 8

Having outlined the theoretical structural composition of the European Union, the question remains: what makes the EU run?