Summary of the European Union
The European Union is a post World War 2 experiment that was the original idea of Jean Monnet (businessman) and French foreign minister Robert Schumann. They saw the need for cooperation and integration in Europe and drew up plans for the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 which binded the most productive industries of 6 nations together. The European Union now has 15 member states and is still growing although most of the time it is Intergovernmental.