When you live in the EU, the one characteristic that is often overlooked is the absence of it: when you cross borders, when you buy a new smartphone or when you get a new job or retire in another EU country. At no single point will it be clear to you that the laws collectively decided by the European Union affect your life on a daily basis.

The reason for this is that the EU’s core objective is to lift barriers. Barriers to travel by removing border controls, barriers to work by enforcing equal rights among citizens, barriers to trade by setting common rules for products and services. In doing so, the EU creates a single market designed to leverage the combined economic strength of its members, with the hope of creating more prosperity for the 430 million individuals living within its borders.

The EU is an international organisation designed to foster and manage the economic cooperation between 27 European countries. It is the third largest economy in the world.

However, the EU has evolved far beyond mere economic cooperation. To manage the absence of barriers to travel, live, work and trade, the EU grants European citizenship to all nationals living within its borders. This citizenship is a unique feature among international organisations. You are not a citizen of the United Nations or the World Trade Organisation despite your country’s participation. But if you are a national of any of the 27 EU countries, you automatically are a citizen of the EU. Beyond the freedom of movement that is a consequence of the rules governing the EU economy, European citizenship grants you the right to vote. Because decisions taken by the EU affect every aspect of our lives, the EU needs our agreement. Unlike any other international organisation in existence, the EU holds elections every 5 years to determine the political goals of its institutions.

The EU is a democratic international organisation designed to foster and manage the economic and political cooperation between 27 European countries. It is the third largest economy and the second largest democracy in the world.

This apparent democratic legitimacy pushes the EU to act in areas that go far beyond economic cooperation. From the absence of barriers to travel comes common border control. From the absence of barriers to trade comes a common currency. From the absence of barriers to work comes common social standards. The reason is that EU countries will cooperate when it makes more sense for them to act together rather than alone. This principle pushes the EU towards ever more expanding areas of cooperation, which requires ever more democratic legitimacy to function. In other words, the EU needs to involve us all in the decisions taken on our behalf. How to achieve this and whether it should even expand towards ever greater cooperation are some of the most important questions we collectively have to decide upon.

The EU is a democratising international organisation designed to foster and manage the economic and political cooperation between 27 European countries. As an individual living in the third largest economy and the second largest democracy in the world, you have a right to know what decisions are taken on your behalf and make your voice heard.

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