The word European Union appeared in 1990. And in 1952 this union was called the European Coal and Steel Community. Gradually the name of the union changed, but not the essence. The European Union unites almost all European countries.
It started as the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 but was expanded to the European Community in 1957. During the 1960s in partnership with the EC, you had EFTA which still exists today. The European Union didn’t become a thing until the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 which established the goals of the project alongside the framework for a single currency, open borders etc. the European Union came along in 1993, the Schengen Area in 1995, and the Eurozone in 2002.
