In 1958 Belguim, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands created the European Economic Community (EEC) to make it easier to trade within countries.
The EEC was orginally the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) formed by the six founding members on July 23rd, 1952.
As more countries joined, it soon evolved into the European Union.
Each country contributes by holding the Presidency of the EU for six months where they chair EU meetings and represent the EU in international meetings.
