Although originally EC has been organized to strengthen ties between European nations after the World War II, present purpose of the European Union is to increase economic integration and strengthen cooperation among its member states. European citizenship has been granted to citizens of each member-State. Customs and immigration agreements have been enhanced to allow European citizens more freedom to live, work, and study in any of the member states, and border controls have been also eased. The European Union also set a goal of establishing a single European currency, the Euro by 1999.
The European Union's attempts to establish a single European currency have had some controversy. Some member countries, such as Great Britain, have worried that a shared European currency would threaten their national identity and their government's authority. On the other hand, some of the other European Union member countries have been struggling to meet the economic requirements for participating in a common currency. To meet the requirements some countries have imposed budget cuts and new taxes. Some of the measures taken by these countries have faced some resistance. .
Winston Churchill once said, "We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not combined. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed" (Darian-Smith 189). Churchill's famous quote aptly describes Britain's intentions towards European integration. According to Bridging Divides, Britain's relationship towards European integration has been one of a reluctant union, supporting free trade and mutually beneficial cooperation, while attempting to distance itself from economic and cultural "unity" with Europe. The term integration can be understood, in context of the European Union, as a situation of unification between individually sovereign nations into a collective body, sufficient to make that body a workable whole.