The communities and their successors have grown in size by the accession of 21 new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to their remit. The original member states of what came to be known as the European Communities were the Inner Six: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively, by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The union and EU citizenship were established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison) with the characteristics of either a federation or confederation. The eurozone is a monetary union established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002, that is composed of the 19 EU member states that use the euro currency.

Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development.

An internal single market has been established through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where the states have agreed to act as one.

The union has a total area of 4,233,255.3 km 2 (1,634,469.0 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe.

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