It has also imposed over 30 trade defence measures, protecting over 350 000 jobs. In 2016 the High Representative/Vice-President launched the Global Strategy for the EU’s Foreign and Security Policy to enhance stability in the European neighbourhood and beyond, boost security and defence and deal with challenges such as energy security, irregular migration, climate change and terrorism. For example, in 2017, joint customs operations financed by the European Anti-Fraud Office led to the seizure of 75 million cigarettes, as well as tens of thousands of other counterfeit products. Strengthening the state and the societal resilience of the EU’s partners is a priority in the face of the threats and pressures they are experiencing, including the challenges associated with migration and mobility. The EU has trade agreements in force with 72 partners around the world, such as the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, which has abolished customs duties on 98% of products, saving EU businesses up to €590 million annually. The European Union is working towards establishing a security union, making Europe more secure by fighting terrorism and serious crime and by strengthening Europe's external borders. establish an economic and monetary union whose currency is the euro. tackle our biggest societal challenges, including health, transport, energy, climate action and protecting freedom and security. You can download or order free and priced EU publications at: https://op.europa.eu/en/publications. indirectly through national courts, which may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice; directly before the General Court, if a decision by an EU institution has affected them directly and individually. the ones listed above, the EU shall take action only if the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, and can therefore, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved by the EU. A customs union means that the countries involved apply the same tariffs to goods imported into their territory from the rest of the world, and apply no tariffs internally. Citizens can share their views on Commission initiatives at key stages of the policymaking and law-making process. The EU Open Data Portal (http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en) provides access to datasets from the EU. You can contact this service: Information about the European Union in all the official languages of the EU is available on the Europa website at: https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en. The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 EU countries that together cover much of the continent. They have a major impact, providing EU institutions and Member States with specialised knowledge in diverse areas, such as cybersecurity, safety of food and medicines, environmental protection, fundamental rights and border security. The EU champions free trade. The European Commission has developed sector-specific action plans and legislation to support more than a dozen key industrial sectors, including the chemicals, automotive, food, healthcare, biotechnology and aeronautics industries. The committees’ opinions are not binding upon the EU institutions. EU policy also looks to meet common challenges such as the shift to digital production and content, or how to encourage innovation in the cultural sector. In 2016 and 2017 the Commission fined the members of a truck producers’ cartel of six leading companies that produce more than 90% of medium-sized and heavy trucks sold in Europe: Scania, Daimler, DAF, Iveco, MAN and Volvo/Renault. This means not just helping to provide decent access to food, clean water, healthcare, education and land; not just developing vital transport and energy infrastructure and a clean environment. .eu is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the European Union (EU). A borderless and seamless common justice area will ensure that citizens can rely on a set of rights and can access justice throughout the continent. Enhanced trade agreements open markets for EU businesses, and action can be taken to prevent unfair competition from outside the EU. This coordination is carried out by the economics and finance ministers, who collectively form the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. If the two institutions do not agree then conciliation procedures are followed until a budget is approved. Environment policy can play a key role in creating jobs and stimulating investment. The 27 national parliaments of the Member States contribute to the good functioning of the EU by scrutinizing their governments in relation to the activities of the European Union and have a number of rights, including the right to express their concerns in relation to draft legislative acts. New policies and actions can be grouped under three main themes: open innovation, open science and open to the world. The ministers have the authority to commit their governments to the actions agreed on in the meetings. The transport single market is crucial for the whole EU economy. The European Commission is the main institution that runs the day-to-day business of the EU. Since it was founded in 1957 the EU has grown from six countries to 27. Through this initiative, the EU helps Member States to give people a second chance to build their skills. Decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen. The EU agrees long-term budget plans that provide a stable basis for implementing the budget over a period of at least 5 years. As enshrined in the Treaty on European Union, ‘the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. The EU contributes to the creation of more and better jobs across Europe, and aims for decent social standards for all its citizens, including through the €86.4 billion European Social Fund. The EU’s health policy complements Member States’ policies to ensure that everyone living in the EU is protected from serious cross-border health threats and has access to quality healthcare. It supports the EU’s food and farm sector, one of the major sectors of the economy, which provides some 44 million jobs. The EU was created to foster peace, prosperity and European values across the continent. The EU and Member States cooperate to tackle terrorism and violent radicalisation, serious and organised crime and cybercrime. The Commission is also responsible for sectors with geostrategic implications and a high degree of public intervention, such as defence, security and space. The Commission can take Member States to court and ask for them to be fined if EU legislation is not implemented. For businesses, the customs union means that regardless of where goods enter the EU the same rules apply, and once the goods have cleared customs they can circulate freely or be sold anywhere within the EU customs territory. Some of the additional policies and actions that help ensure that the EU meets its goals include. Most people working in the Commission are based in Brussels or Luxembourg, however there are ‘representation’ offices in all the capitals of the EU Member States. Horizon 2020 has three main aims, which are to: The European Commission also aims to develop policies that encourage excellent research and boost innovation. In 2019, the EU reached a new agreement on trade with the Mercosur trading bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), signed a trade deal with Vietnam and saw its trade deal with Japan enter into force. National parliaments send reasoned opinions to the Commission when they see a draft legislative act breaching the principle of subsidiarity. The EU has set up a number of other initiatives to make it easier for people to study, train or work abroad. While national governments are responsible for setting tax rates and collecting taxes, the EU ensures that people or businesses from another Member State are not discriminated against and that taxes do not hinder the EU’s single market. Thanks to the EU, the last 20 years have seen considerable progress in Europe’s transport sector, leading to safer skies, seas and roads; decent working conditions for transport workers; more and cheaper mobility options for travellers and businesses; and fast progress towards cleaner transport and digital mobility solutions. The work on the positive agenda continued with the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe in March 2017, offering five scenarios for what the EU could look like by 2025. 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