After World War II, European countries increased their efforts to live peacefully together on their small continent. To improve business and trade, six countries - Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands - came together in 1958 to create a common economy and currency. These countries agreed not to use trade barriers like tariffs, embargoes, or quotas with each other. This led to a more prosperous economy in these countries. As the years went on, more European countries joined this group called The European Union, or EU for short. There are currently 21 countries in the EU after United Kingdom left. And there are other countries like turkey that hope to join the EU. The EU worked to help create jobs in poor parts of Europe and pass laws to protect the environment. The group or Union focused on the idea that all Goods, Services, people, and money should be able to move freely through the through the EU countries. Europeans no longer had to carry their passports when travelling between the EU countries. They could instead travel from country to Country much like the people in the United States travel from state to state.