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Though currently much maligned, the euro has helped to improve Europe's economic performance and international standing. Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA
Though currently much maligned, the euro has helped to improve Europe's economic performance and international standing. Photograph: Barry Batchelor/PA

Nobel peace prize: 10 things the EU has done for us

This article is more than 11 years old
As critics ponder why the 2012 Nobel peace prize was awarded to the EU, we look at ten ways in which it has improved our lives

At a time when Europe seems on the brink of falling apart, when Europeans are taking to the streets to express their wrath towards other partners in the union and when mainstream politicians in the UK are looking for a way out of the club, a decision by a group of Norwegian intellectuals to prompt the question: what has the EU done for us? We take a look at some of the more positive impacts the EU has had on our lives.

Peace

The origins of peace in Europe lie in the alliance made between France and Germany t gave birth to the European Coal and Steel Community, a forerunner of the EU. The ECSC was first conceived by Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister in 1950 "to make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible". The continent has indeed enjoyed lasting peace. International security remains one of the EU's top priorities, not just in Europe but the rest of the world.

Single market

The single market is probably the EU's single biggest achievement after peace, though it's arguably hard to separate the two. It guarantees the free movement of people, goods, services and capital. Apart from the unifying effect of this set-up on European citizens, it has provided the opportunity for them to travel, live, work, study and do business across the union, and to enjoy a wide range of competitively-priced services and goods.

Single currency

The eurozone was established in 1999 and is made up of 17 member states. Despite the threats it has faced in recent years, it is likely to remain a central part of Europeans' everyday life. Most Europeans see the benefits it brings to them as travellers - not having to convert moneywhile away on holiday or business. But its main practical benefit has to do with economic growth. It has helped to strengthen the EU's international standing and improve integration within the union itself.

Easier, passport-free travel

Since the 15 member countries which signed up to the Schengen agreement abandoned their border posts, it is possible to travel freely and easily not just to Tuscany and Dordogne, but across huge swaths of the union. Driving licenses are valid across the continent, while the single currency standardised trains and the fact that holidaymakers are fully covered for emergency hospital treatment in other EU countries have all encouraged freedom of movement.

Foreign aid

The EU accounts for half of all global aid. Last year, it donated €53.1bn (£42.8bn). The European commission by itself is the world's second largest bilateral donor after the US, providing €12.3bn of external aid in 2011. Aid constitutes about 9% of the EU budget. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's peer review of EU aid in 2012 found that the body was a "formidable player in global development" that had taken "positive steps to make the programme more effective and increase its impact" since its previous review in 2007. The European commission is ranked the fifth most transparent donor in the world out of 72, above every EU member state except the UK and the Netherlands.

Cheaper and safer flights

Increased competition between airlines operating within the member states introduced in the 1980s and 90s has provided us with cheaper flights to a much wider range of destinations than ever before. Flights are also safer as a result of tightened regulations and improvements in air traffic control.

Democracy and human rights

Brussels sets standards of human rights, democracy and the rule of law to which countries must adhere if they want to be part of the European Union. In practical terms these guidelines have had a particular impact on the countries of southern, central and eastern Europe, which joined after they emerged from dictatorships with often underdeveloped civil societies.

Equal opportunities

The EU has tackled discrimination on the basis of gender, race, age and disability with a range of different directives which have had their biggest impact on the labour market.

Cheaper telephone calls

In the 1990s the EU liberalised the telecommunications markets. That together with new technology has led to considerably lower prices. The cost of international telephone calls has fallen by more than 80% in the last 30 years, while mobile phone roaming charges have also been significantly reduced.

Improved air and water quality

Member states have demonstrated their own appetite for protecting the environment, but they would arguably not have done so much had pressure not been applied by the EU via legislation to improve the quality of rivers, seas and beaches, and reduce acid rain and sulphur emissions.

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