What type of al
A)
only economic

B)
only political

C)
political and social

D)
political and economicliance is the European Union?

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form

of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a process of integration

begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence

and make another war in Europe unthinkable. The EU currently consists of 28 member states,

including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace,

stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent.

The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties. Over the years, EU member states

have sought to harmonize laws and adopt common policies on an increasing number of economic,

social, and political issues. EU member states share a customs union; a single market in which

capital, goods, services, and people move freely; a common trade policy; and a common

agricultural policy. Nineteen EU member states use a common currency (the euro), and 22

member states participate in the Schengen area of free movement in which internal border

controls have been eliminated. In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and

Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and

pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) to forge common internal

security measures. Member states work together through several EU institutions to set policy and

to promote their collective interests.

In recent years, however, the EU has faced a number of internal and external crises. Most notably,

in a June 2016 public referendum, voters in the United Kingdom (UK) backed leaving the EU.

The pending British exit from the EU (dubbed “Brexit”) comes amid multiple other challenges,

including the rise of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties, concerns about

democratic backsliding in some member states (including Poland and Hungary), ongoing

pressures related to migration, a heightened terrorism threat, and a resurgent Russia.

The United States has supported the European integration project since its inception in the 1950s

as a means to prevent another catastrophic conflict on the European continent and foster

democratic allies and strong trading partners. Today, the United States and the EU have a

dynamic political partnership and share a huge trade and investment relationship. Despite

periodic tensions in U.S.-EU relations over the years, U.S. and EU policymakers alike have

viewed the partnership as serving both sides’ overall strategic and economic interests.

EU leaders are anxious about the Trump Administration’s commitment to the EU project, the

transatlantic partnership, and an open international trading system—especially amid the

Administration’s imposition of tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products since 2018 and the

prospects of future auto tariffs. In July 2018, President Trump reportedly called the EU a “foe” on

trade but the Administration subsequently sought to de-escalate U.S.-EU tensions and signaled its

intention to launch new U.S.-EU trade negotiations. Concerns also linger in Brussels about the

implications of the Trump Administration’s “America First” foreign policy and its positions on a

range of international issues, including Russia, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, climate

change, and the role of multilateral institutions.

This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK’s vote to leave the EU, the UK remains

a full member of the bloc until it officially exits the EU (which is scheduled to occur by October

31, 2019, but may be further delayed). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its

institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic

relations that may be of interest in the 116th Congress. For more information on the EU project in

the longer term, see CRS Report R44249, The European Union: Ongoing Challenges and Future

Prospects, by Kristin Archick.

could you go a bit more in depth with you question? it's quite hard to understand. as soon as you do that i will be glad to : )