The thought process that motivated this congregation involved worries about the coal and steel industries between France and Germany; the European community was concerned that the economic control of these industries could potentially start another armed conflict, something that they all wished to avoid at all costs. In the next few years, further analysis and reports of individual committees such as the Spaak committee suggested further integration of the European economy. In 1959, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community. As security interests evolved and the Cold War collapse brought on global instability, in 1991 in the Maastricht Treaty, European nations agreed to design the European Union, composed of three organizations: the European Community (economics and monetary), the organization formerly known as the European Political Cooperation (foreign and security co-operation) and the European Parliament and court of Justice.
The organization of the European Union is very similar to that of the United Nations. Each has its main organization (The General Assembly for the United Nations, the Parliament for the European Union) with smaller committees and agencies underneath it. To meet its stated goals, each organization has these smaller organizations to supervise specific targets and report back to the main body. The United Nations is divided into the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC), International Court of Justice, Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat. By dispensing the authority and responsibility through smaller organizations, closer attention is able to be paid to each goal and task, thus making action easier to take.
For example, one of their stated goals is to "promote economic and social progress- in Europe. The treaty states:.
The Community shall develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion.