The European Union is regarded as the most successfuleconomic integration project in the history of the global economy. Inthe 1950s, the first three integration groupings in Western Europewere founded. Integration developed gradually from customs unionthrough common market to economic and monetary union.Simultaneously, the number of member states increased from six totwenty-eight, with the most recent enlargement being in 2013 withthe accession of Croatia. The number of countries interested injoining the EU has grown. The European Union is one of the threemost important economic centers in the world. Prior to 2019, it wasthe largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods in theworld. In 2020, it ranked second in global exports and third in globalimports of goods (more detailed data are in Annex 1). In the longterm, the European Union has been the global leader in the trade inservices (more detailed data are in Annex 2). Until 2019, it was oneof the world's top three providers and recipients of foreign directinvestment (more detailed data are in Annex 3). In terms of globalGDP share, the EU has traditionally ranked second worldwide (moredetailed data is in the Annex 4). Zdroj anotace: Web obalkyknih.cz