The European UnionAbstract========This document concerns the EU, its main policies, key objectives, laws, tools for implementing them policies, who its members are and the institutions involved in implementing business objectives. Keyword: European Union; Mission of the EU.Introduction============The establishment of the EU intended to work towards common goals of European countries. This free trade zone or economic community has been and is very successful and pursues specific objectives such as political dialogue, free trade and freedom of movement, economic, financial and cultural cooperation. Particular attention has been focused on trade laws, regulations and other issues (Kotler, 1999, p. 371). The key objectives are to keep the market open, ensure fair trade, apply legislation objectively and transparently, ensure that trading partners respect WTO legislation and promote improvements to the system (European Union). The EU confers sovereignty on its members to act as independents on behalf of the EU or in other words for the well-being and interests of the Union as a whole (European Union). The integration of the EU after the Second World War allowed the EU to raise the standards of living, build an internal market, launch the common currency – the euro, strengthen the Union's voice in the world. To achieve these objectives the EU has implemented several trade defense instruments:1. Anti-dumping policy2. Anti-subsidy policy3. Trade Barriers Regulation4. Protective measures. The EU also uses a common currency, the euro monetary system, which tends to make the trading zone more effective and compatible in the international market (European Union). The EU has a structure such that there are 5 institutions and each of them is responsible for a respective objective (European Union). Today the EU is one of the most influential and largest trading blocs or single markets comprising 15 member countries. These 15 member countries collectively have more than 370 million consumers and represent