The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively,
by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The original
members of what came to be known as the European Communities were the
Inner Six: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West
Germany. The Communities and its successors have grown in size by the
accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy
areas to its remit. While no member state has left the EU or its
antecedent organisations, the United Kingdom enacted the result of a
membership referendum in June 2016 and is negotiating its withdrawal.
The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union in 1993 and
introduced European citizenship.The latest major amendment to the
constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in
2009.
The European Union provides more foreign aid than any other economic union.[19] Covering 7.3% of the world population,[20] the
EU in 2016 generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of 16.477
trillion US dollars, constituting approximately 22.2% of global nominal
GDP and 16.9% when measured in terms of purchasing power
parity.[citation needed] Additionally, 27 out of 28 EU countries have a
very high Human Development Index, according to the United Nations
Development Programme. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.[21] Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has
developed a role in external relations and defence. The union maintains
permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself
at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7, and the
G20. Because of its global influence, the European Union has been
described as an emerging superpower.
