Changes

The institutions of the European Union were originally created to oversee the operation of the several economic communities that later became the Single European Market. Even as the EU's political integration has continued, the area of greatest integration has always been in the economic sphere: goods, capital, and labour move freely between member states (with exceptions for goods which pose a public health risk), businesses in all member states are increasingly subject to common basic rules, and fifteen of the 28 member states use a common currency, the euro. The rest of the states are legally obliged to adopt the euro when their economies meet strict ''Convergence Criteria'' (except the UK and Denmark, which negotiated opt-outs). The fifteen euro-area countries share a common monetary policy administered by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. The EU strives to eliminate internal barriers to the free flow of goods, services, labour, and capital, and to promote the overall convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to strengthen Europe's trade position and capitalise on the political and economic leverage that a large, unified market brings.  

The institutions of the European Union were originally created to oversee the operation of the several economic communities that later became the Single European Market. Even as the EU's political integration has continued, the area of greatest integration has always been in the economic sphere: goods, capital, and labour move freely between member states (with exceptions for goods which pose a public health risk), businesses in all member states are increasingly subject to common basic rules, and fifteen of the 28 member states use a common currency, the euro. The rest of the states are legally obliged to adopt the euro when their economies meet strict ''Convergence Criteria'' (except the UK and Denmark, which negotiated opt-outs). The fifteen euro-area countries share a common monetary policy administered by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. The EU strives to eliminate internal barriers to the free flow of goods, services, labour, and capital, and to promote the overall convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to strengthen Europe's trade position and capitalise on the political and economic leverage that a large, unified market brings.  

In 2008, the eurozone and the U.S. had equivalent gross domestic products (GDP); as of 2023 the GDP gap is now 80%. The European Centre for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based [[think-tank]], published a ranking of GDP per capita of American states and European countries: Italy is just ahead of Mississippi, the poorest of the 50 states, while France is between Idaho and Arkansas, respectively 48th and 49th. Germany doesn’t save face: It lies between Oklahoma and Maine (38th and 39th). The American median salary in 2023 stood at one and a half times greater than that of France.<ref>https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/09/04/the-gdp-gap-between-europe-and-the-united-states-is-now-80_6123491_23.html</ref>

In 2023 the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' noted Europeans were becoming poorer as a result of [[covid lockdown]]s, but more precisely by joining with [[neo fascist]] leader [[Joe Biden]]'s [[Russia sanctions]].<ref>[https://archive.ph/nzdtv Europeans Are Becoming Poorer. ‘Yes, We’re All Worse Off.’ An aging population that values its free time set the stage for economic stagnation. Then came Covid-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine.] By Tom Fairless, ''The Wall Street Journal'', July 17, 2023.</ref>  In 2008, the eurozone and the U.S. had equivalent gross domestic products (GDP); as of 2023 the GDP gap is now 80%. The European Centre for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based [[think-tank]], published a ranking of GDP per capita of American states and European countries: Italy is just ahead of Mississippi, the poorest of the 50 states, while France is between Idaho and Arkansas, respectively 48th and 49th. Germany doesn’t save face: It lies between Oklahoma and Maine (38th and 39th). The American median salary in 2023 stood at one and a half times greater than that of France.<ref>https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/09/04/the-gdp-gap-between-europe-and-the-united-states-is-now-80_6123491_23.html</ref>

===Growth===

===Growth===