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The European Union if Greenland rejoined and all countries geographically more or less in Europe, joined.
Often considered the father of modern Europe, Napoleon’s legacy goes far beyond his military genius, and is subject to a wide variety of interpretations. Although he promoted the ideas of equality, meritocracy, religious freedom and a common system of law throughout his empire, he was an absolute ruler, suppressing many with whom he disagreed. Nonetheless, the Napoleonic Code remains the basis of French law, and it was the primary influence on nineteenth-century civil codes throughout continental Europe and Latin America. Napoleon’s sale of the Louisiana Territory to the United States helped lead to that nation’s greatness, and he had a profound influence on the rise of European nationalism: His efforts on the Italian peninsula and in the German principalities foreshadowed the unification of both Italy and Germany. Though the restored old regimes remained influential for a time, Napoleon’s example of leadership based on merit eventually became the goal of Western nations.
The Napoleonic Legacy
Napoleon’s hegemony over Europe was brief; in some regions, it lasted only three years. Nevertheless, his reforms exerted a lasting influence on how the states of Western Europe were governed henceforth. Although the Congress of Vienna, which reorganized Europe after Napoleon’s fall, reordered the borders of states to a considerable degree, Napoleonic administrative institutions and, above all, the Civil Code reemerged sooner, rather than later, as basis for civil government in what had been the inner empire, and would become the historic core of the modern European Union. Later, the centralized, culturally uniform model established under Napoleon became the guiding principle of French overseas imperialism, starting with Algeria in 1829 and spreading across much of Africa and Indochina in the late nineteenth century. The legacy of the Napoleonic Empire in European and imperial history is less in Napoleon’s transient military exploits than in the durability of his civil reforms.
British Parliamentarianism
The European Union (EU) had grown from a French vision in 1950, and a humble start in which Britain did not partake, in the 1957 Treaties of Rome. The EU has become a continental powerhouse with complex institutions and a hybrid of structures. The EU is gathering more political momentum, adding new members, incorporating territory in southern and Eastern Europe, consolidating its laws, and proclaiming constitutional powers. The EU is increasingly independent from the countries that compose its rapidly expanding ranks. Parliamentarianism may become its guiding principle on the road to securing popular support for strong federalism. The formation of the European Parliament as a body whose members, since 1979, are directly elected and often represent ideological agendas and continental— rather than national—interests also balances the influence of local politicians and state governments. While competition for authority will continue, real power seems to increasingly to be vested in an institution whose structure and procedures may resemble the traditional role of the British House of Commons, although the vast majority of EU members do not have a tradition of parliamentarianism.
The European Community
With the Treaty of Brussels in 1965 Euratom, EEC, and ECSC merged as the European Community. The treaty also joined the three commissions and councils as the single Commission of the European Communities and the single Council of Ministers of the European Communities. The French president, Charles de Gaulle, vetoed Britain’s membership, which Britain had applied for in 1963 for the first time. Only after de Gaulle left office could Britain join the EC in 1973. At the same time Ireland and Denmark joined the EC. The Single European Act of 1987 created a single internal European market and abolished all trade barriers that might hinder the free flow of goods, services, and people. The community also further integrated political and social affairs. Almost ten years later Greece joined the EC in 1981, and Spain and Portugal joined in 1986. When Germany reunited in 1990 former East Germany was automatically absorbed into the community.
From EC to the European Union
In 1993 the European Community changed its name to the “European Union” (EU).The name change was established by the Treaty of the European Union, which was signed in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 1992 and ratified by the EU member states in 1993. Its articles laid the foundation for the single European currency, the Euro, a central banking system, a legal definition of the EU, and a further integration in policy areas such as foreign and security policy. The treaty also replaced the Treaty of Rome of 1957.The European Union absorbed the functions of the Western European Union in 1999, which automatically gave the EU military capabilities. In 1995 the EU had invited Austria, Finland, and Sweden to join. Altogether, the EU now had fifteen member states.
On 1 January 2002 the Euro replaced the old national banknotes and coins. One year later, in 2003, the Commission of the European Communities started negotiations with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta for European Union membership. This latest enlargement became effective on 1 May 2004.
