EU VS. NAU

Hi, I have been reading over these forms for a couple months now I had a few questions about the EU and the NAU. I realize when people are giving evidence for the NAU the ofter site the fact that the EU just recently came into effect and that it started based on a free trade agreement. I understand all of this, the main question I has was weather or not the European Union was talked about before it happened. I don’t remember hearing any news about the European Union before it happened. Was this based on me not paying attention to current events or a lack of information? The main reason I ask is because people often say the North American Union is a secret and that will just happen out of nowhere, I would just like to know if this is how the EU started or if the public was well informed. (First time poster, long time reader: P) Thanks.

What do u gotta do to get your questions seen? lol

reply to post by tylerc25211


What do you mean "recently"? The EU was started in 1993, and before that it was the "European Community", which started 50 years ago.

Countries working together helps everyone. It might be rocky in the beginning, but it's best for everyone in the long run. Just as in the US where states work together, and before that when city-states joined together in Europe, it's just what happens when each country gets more involved with others, be it from mutual defense needs, economic, social, religious, whatever.

Here's some data, interleaved with an example of a quick research path:

* Huh, history of the EU. Okay, Wikipedia search for "European Union".

* Ignoring totally the actual article text, scroll down to the "References" section.

* Hmm, early history, hey, here's a reference with '1950' in the title:

Declaration of 9 May 1950

This is the full text of the proposal, which was presented by the French foreign minister Robert Schuman and which led to the creation of what is now the European Union.

* Sounds like the right track... interesting fellow, so now a Wikipedia search of Robert Schuman. Hey, he was prime minister of France, too!

Schuman's government proposed the creation of a European Assembly, the first government to do so. This proposal saw life as the Council of Europe and was created within the schedule Schuman had set. At the signing of its Statutes at St James's Palace, London, 5 May 1949, the founding States agreed to defining the frontiers of Europe based on the principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms that Schuman enunciated there. In September 1948 as Foreign Minister, he announced before the United Nations General Assembly, France's aim to create a democratic organisation for Europe which a post-Nazi and democratic Germany could join. In 1949-50, he made a series of speeches in Europe and North America about creating a supranational European Community. This structure, he said, would create lasting peace between States.

On May 9, 1950, these principles of supranational democracy were announced in a Declaration jointly prepared by Paul Reuter, the legal adviser at the Foreign Ministry, his chef-de Cabinet, Bernard Clappier and Jean Monnet and two of his team.The French Government agreed to the Schuman Declaration which invited the Germans and all other European countries to manage their coal and steel industries jointly and democratically in Europe's first supranational Community with its five foundational institutions. On 18 April 1951 six founder members signed the Treaty of Paris (1951) that formed the basis of the European Coal and Steel Community. They declared this date and the corresponding democratic, suprantional principles to be the 'real foundation of Europe'. Three Communities have been created so far. The Treaties of Rome, 1957, created the Economic community and the nuclear non-proliferation Community, Euratom. Together with intergovernmental machinery of later treaties, these eventually evolved into the European Union. The Schuman Declaration, was made on 9 May 1950 and to this day May 9 is designated Europe Day.

* Wikipedia isn't an 'authoritative source', but it can often point to many directions to investigate:

A few possible things to investigate for more info:

• Council of Europe
  
• speeches of Robert Schuman, 1949-1950
  
• Paul Reuter
  
• Schuman Declaration
  
• Treaty of Paris
  
• Treaties of Rome
  
• Europe Day