Politically speaking, the European Union dates backs to 1951, but the modern economic union — as well as the single currency and single passport — are far newer conveniences, beginning only in the early 1990s and then only as each country adopts them.

Nevertheless, the EU now stretches from Portugal in the west to Greece in the southeast and north to Finland — half a billion people all told and an economy in terms of purchasing power that is virtually the same as the that of the United States, at $13.54 billion.

Truth is, even Europeans weren't convinced of the value of dropping their internal barriers. But the union at this writing of 27 nations, and the euro, held. About half use the currency and only half rely on the European Central Bank for interest rate policy, yet most subscribe to the rest of the policies, including economic rulings as far-reaching as trade, agriculture, fisheries, work rules and public health.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn the basic business regulations

For a basic blow-by-blow on starting and running your business in the European Union, the European Commission offers a great, detailed guide online.

I recommend: See the EC's page Your Europe - Business and click "expand all" on the right-hand menu for easy yet detailed instructions on subjecs like starting a business, taxation and intellectual property.

Get to know the history and background of the EU

Start at the EU's massive, but not-too-complex, information gateway.

I recommend: Called Europa, it includes pages simple enough for grade-schoolers (which must constitute a lot of its traffic) and complex enough if you drill down to dish up case law and agricultural data by the ream. The EU's Ambassador to the United States' office publishes good, short history of the pact [PDF link] for U.S. audiences.

Lean on the government for resources

Uncle Sam had done a lot of the homework for you, in the effort to give U.S. exporters a leg up on cracking this market.

I recommend: The U.S. Commercial Service has a U.S. Mission to Europe page, which publishes an annual commercial guide to the EU and extensive market research reports. See also the World Bank's excellent Doing Business in Europe and Central Asia report.

Go to an EU show if it relates to your industry

The European Union sponsors trade, business and policy events all over the world. Attending one, if it's directly relevant to your business, can put you in a room with every major player in Europe.

I recommend: Check the EU calendar for a list of upcoming events as varied as biofuels, textiles, space and healthcare. The U.S. government has a good listing of the biggest shows by sector,

Make friends on the ground

A resource misunderstood by many just starting out is the reach of the American Chambers of Commerce abroad. Often perceived as a expats' club, the AmChams in fact are usually mostly domestic multinationals with links to or an interest in U.S. businesses.

I recommend: Check the U.S. Chamber of Commerce international directory, which lists AmChams by country.

Sell to government, always the biggest single buyer

Many businesses overlook the obvious when considering doing business in a new place -- the governments themselves. Organizing into a federation creates a lot of space for shared-bid contracts (read: big money).

I recommend: The European Union, like many large individual contries, has gone over to a single, Web-based auction-style site. It's more transparent, but it also creates suppliers and stimulates competition, a good deal for taxpayers at little cost.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The recent French and Dutch rejections of a European Constitution can be read as a rejection of EU order -- or the final throes of nationalism in Europe. No matter. Companies have already assumed a permanent EU system and arranged entire corporate structures around it.
• •  It may be simplistic to say it, but most of Western Europe and an increasing slice of old Eastern Europe resemble the United States more each year, each country looking to Brussels for guidance on inter-country policy while setting internal laws as needed. Doing business is becoming more predictable and, dare we say it, less bureaucratic, as well.
• •  EU passport? If you have a direct link, like a parent or, in some cases, grandparent, from an EU country, this might be worth your while. But watch out for scams: If an agency asks for money upfront and a bunch of your documents, particularly over the Web, that's a red flag. Talk to an immigration lawyer instead.