Common Market to European Union

Description

The European Union (EU) is one of the pillars of the world economy along with the United States and Japan. What is the EU? How did it become a unified trading entity? What does the EU mean for the world economy? Important questions in an era of globalization. After an historic overview from the Schuman Plan to the Maastricht Meetings, the class concentrates on the completion of the internal market and on the impact of the EU on the world economy. The gradual transition from free trade area to customs union to common market and, beyond, economic union is conducted in the analytical framework of economic integration. Topics to be discussed include the gradual removal of barriers, the financial framework and the Euro, trade policy, and the future of the European Union in view of the new entrants from Central and Eastern Europe.