Chapter 3: All Together Now: The European Union and the Country Clubs

The project that was originally formulated in the aftermath of World War II and developed into the European Union is not just a set of intergovernmental treaties and agencies. Like the citizens of traditional nations, its Member Countries abide by a set of constraints, enjoy common policy facilities, and are bound into an entity with a legal personality. Like a federal state, this supranational body rules over its citizens directly, who are all entitled to a uniform set of rights upheld by the European Court of Justice, including the freedom to carry out economic activities throughout its territory. This very special entity was envisioned to assume some of the roles and prerogatives of all governments, along an ‘ever closer union’ path.