European Union

group of countries taking part in the economic unification of Europe. (There were 25 countries in the European Union in 2004). The term also refers to the pan-European governmental and social agencies involved in inter-governmental cooperation: the European Commission (based in Brussels, Belgium), which oversees Europe's economic and monetary unification; the European Parliament, directly elected by citizens of member countries; the Council of Ministers, consisting of the foreign ministers of EU member governments; the European Court of Justice, the court of last resort for interpreting EU treaties; and the Court of Auditors, which monitors government budgets of EU countries. The 1993 Maastricht treaty gave the European Parliament equal decision-making powers with the Council and Commission.