Summary Britta Kase
The booklet contains illustration about how well off are Europeans. The countries of the
EU are very different and the standard of living is different. Economic power of a country
helps to measure gross domestic product (GDP) and parity of purchasing power. This is
the only way to make countries comparable. The graphic shows that the GDP per head is
the highest in Luxembourg and the lowest in Bulgaria. The GDP per head in Estonia is
quite low, lower than th EU average. The EU aims to reduce the disparaties and that is why
poorer regions of the EU receive money to impove their infrastructure and so enhance their
economic opportunities.
The idea of united Europe was born in the former enemies France and Germany that they
should join together. The first body from which today’s EU emerged was the European
Coal and Steel Community. The aim was to manage the coal reserves collectively, coal was
the most important energy source then. Each country had a say in the affairs of every other
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