European Union

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• Official Name: European Union
• Capital City: Brussels (50°50'N 4°21'E)
• Places of Interest: Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome, and Vienna
• Major Languages: 29 languages
• Demonym: European
• Government: Supranational and intergovernmental

• • President of the Council: Manfred Weber
  • President of the Parliament: Marco Zanni
  • President of the Commission: Margrethe Vestager
• Area: 4,462,753 km²
• Population: 460,773,727 km²
  • Density: 1.0018
• Monetary Unit: Euro and 15 others
• Major Resources: Machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, aircraft, plastics, iron and steel, wood pulp and paper products, alcoholic beverages, and furniture.
• National Defence: 36 national armed forces; five-nation Eurocorps, formally established in 1992 and activated the following year, consists of approximately 1,000 troops at its headquarters in Strasbourg, France, and the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, which began in 1987.
• International Relations: The EU's foreign relations are dealt with either through the Common Foreign and Security Policy decided by the European Council, or the economic trade negotiations handled by the European Commission. The leading EU diplomat in both areas is the High Representative. The Council can issue negotiating directives (not to be confused with directives, which are legal acts) to the Commission giving parameters for trade negotiations.
  
  A limited amount of defence co-operation takes place within the Common Security and Defence Policy. However, it is hoped that defence co-operation and integration between member states will be improved by establishing a Military Planning and Conduct Capabilities (MPCC) unit focused on military operations.
• Domestic Metahumans: The EU trails only the United States in terms of costumed and super-powered humans. Notable superhero teams include the Blackhawk Squadron, Euroforce, Les Heroes de Paris, Super Heroes of Europe, and Wild Pack.
• History: The European Union is a geo-political entity covering a large portion of the European continent. It is founded upon numerous treaties and has undergone expansions that have taken it from 6 member states to 36, a majority of the states in Europe.
  
  Apart from the ideas of federation, confederation, or customs union such as Winston Churchill's 1946 call for a "United States of Europe", the original development of the European Union was based on a supranational foundation that would "make war unthinkable and materially impossible" and reinforce democracy amongst its members as laid out by Robert Schuman and other leaders in the Schuman Declaration (1950) and the Europe Declaration (1951). This principle was at the heart of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) (1951), the Treaty of Paris (1951), and later the Treaty of Rome (1958) which established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). The ECSC expired in 2002, while the EAEC maintains a distinct legal identity despite sharing members and institutions.
  
  The Maastricht Treaty (1992) created the European Union with its pillars system, including foreign and home affairs alongside the European Community. This in turn led to the creation of the single European currency, the euro (launched 1999). The Maastricht Treaty has been amended by the treaties of Amsterdam (1997), Nice (2001) and Lisbon (2007).