The < a><a href= <a h ref=Eur< a>o>Euro< a>pean_Uni on>< a><a href= Euro>E< a href="">uro<< a>a>pean Union<a> i s an< a> economic and polit< a href="">ical< a> union of 28 m< a>em< a>ber states that are< a href=""> loc< a>ated prim arily in <a href=Euro< a href="">>Eur< a>o<a>pe. It < a href="">has < a>developed a si ngle mark< a>et throug h a s< a>tandardiz< a>ed system of laws that app< a href="">ly i< a>n all memb er s< a>tates, allowing for the< a> free mov ement of peo< a href="">ple,< a> goods, s ervices, a< a href="">nd c< a>apital.
The < a><a href= <a h ref=Eur< a>o>Euro< a>pean_Uni on>< a><a href= Euro>E< a href="">uro<< a>a>pean Union<a> ( EU) < a>is an eco nomic and poli< a>tical uni on of 2< a>8 member states tha< a href="">t ar< a>e located prim arily< a href=""> in <a href=< a href="">Euro< a>>Euro<a>p e. It has developed a si< a href="">ngle< a> market t hrough a stand< a>ardized s ystem of laws tha< a href="">t ap< a>ply in all mem< a>ber states, ensurin g th< a>e free mo vement of pe< a href="">ople< a>, goods, services, < a href="">and < a>capital. It ha s a common currency, the < a><a href= Euro>eur< a href="">o<a< a>>, and ha s dev elope< a href="">d a policy in < a href="">a wide< a> range of < a href="">area< a>s, including the en< a href="">viro< a>nment, transport, c onsu mer pro< a>tection, and the fi< a href="">ght < a>against f raud.<br>< br>T he EU was establ ished< a href=""> in 1993 with < a href="">the < a>signing o f the <a href=Maastric ht_T reaty< a href="">>Maastricht Tre aty< a>, whic< a>h created the < a><a href= <a h ref=Eur< a>o>Euro< a><a>pean_Union><a < a href="">href< a>=Euro> Euro<a>pe an U< a>nion<a>.< a> The EU has since grow n to< a> include 28 me mber stat< a>es, with t he m< a>ost recent additions bein g Croatia< a> in 2013 a< a href="">nd M< a>ontenegro in 2 017. The EU has its o wn i< a>nstitutio< a>ns, inclu ding the <a href=Euro< a href="">>Eur< a>o<a>pean< a> Commis< a>sion, the <a h< a>ref=Euro>Euro<a >pea n Parliam< a>ent, the C ounc il of the <a href< a href="">=<< a>a href=E uro< a>>Euro<a>< a>pean_Union><a href< a href="">=E< a>uro>Euro<a>pea n Uni on<a< a href="">>, t< a>he <a href =E< a>uro>Euro<a>pean C ourt of Jus< a>tice, and the <a href=Euro>Eur o<a >pean< a href=""> Cen< a>tral Bank .<br><b< a>r>The EU i s a < a>major pla yer i n <a =>href=Interna tion al_Af< a href="">fair< a>s>internati onal affairs<< a>a>, and i s a < a>major tra ding partn< a href="">er f< a>or many co untrie< a>s around t he w< a>orld. It is al so a major donor of< a href=""> <a href=Dev el opme nt_Ai< a href="">d>d< a>evelopment aid<a>, and< a> is a majo r co< a>ntributor< a> to int< a>ernationa< a>l peace an d se< a>curity. The EU has also< a> been invo lved in a numbe< a>r of inter nati onal init< a>iatives, such as the Paris Agreem ent < a>on < a href="">clim< a>ate change, the Ira< a href="">n nu< a>clear dea l, an d the fight against ter< a>ro< a>rism.<br>< a><br>The E U is < a>a unique form of intern< a>ational o rganizatio n, and its membe< a href="">r st< a>ates have a wi< a>de range of in teres< a href="">ts a< a>nd object ive< a href="">s. T< a>he EU is c< a href="">ommi< a>tted to p romoting e< a href="">cono< a>mic growth and soci< a href="">al p< a>ro< a>gress, and to prote< a href="">ctin< a>g the env ironment. < a href="">It i< a>s also com mitt ed to promo< a>ting demo cracy, hum< a href="">an r< a>ights, an d the rule of law. The EU is al< a href="">so c< a>ommitted to pr omoti< a href="">ng p< a>eace and s ecur ity, and to working wit< a>h < a>its partners to add< a href="">ress< a> global c hallenges.