The European Union: conditions for membership, the pillars of the Union, and single market - Essay Example

Owing to the very name that the group has adopted, the first and foremost condition to determine whether a state qualifies membership in the European Union is the geographical location of the participating sovereignty. By natural dimensions, Europe is a continent or a massive slice of land and a state to be a member of the union must be inside it. There have been, however, certain recent modifications. Aside from the matter of location, there is a need for the entrant country to have achieved a well developed market economy, to have attained political maturity and solidly entrenched government under the arenas of true freedom and democracy, and to have fully developed an internal environment with a stable economy and a solid monetary characteristic.

Furthermore, the particular member state must undertake to adhere to the political, economic and monetary policies of the union. In accordance with the Copenhagen European Council mandate in 1993, desiring countries from the central and eastern parts of Europe would become members of the union as a matter of course after these territories shall have met or satisfied the economic and political requirements. This is the outline for the accession criteria. (Accession criteria. European Commission Enlargement.

[internet]). The European Community delineates the areas of customs union. arts of Europe would become members of the union as a matter of course after these territories shall have met or satisfied the economic and political requirements. This is the outline for the accession criteria. (Accession criteria. European Commission Enlargement. [internet]).The Pillars of the Union The three pillars of the European Union are the European Community (EC), the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and the Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJCC).

The European Community delineates the areas of customs union and single market, common agricultural and fishery policies, competition law, economic and monetary union, union citizenship, education and culture. It also includes trans-European networks, consumer protection, healthcare, research, environmental statutes, social policies, asylum practices, the Schengen treaty in particular, and immigration policies. The Common Foreign and Security Policy enumerates as its coverage foreign policy and security matters which are human rights, democracy, foreign aid, union security and defense, union battle groups, peacekeeping, and the Helsinki Headline Goal Force Catalogue.

The Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters pillar has authority, either coordinating or self-executing, over drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, organized crime, and bribery and fraud. (Three pillars of the European Union. Wikipedia. [internet].)Economic and monetary union The economic and monetary union (or EMU), simply put, is the general objective of the European Union to have a common currency and an integrated central bank system among the member states and/or countries. (EMU. Economic and monetary union. Answers.com.

[internet}). The EMU project started under the Maastrictht