The European Union, often referred to as the EU, is an economic and political union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. The EU is known for its powerful impact on global trade and politics and offers a range of synonyms. The term European Economic Community, or EEC, was used before the EU's establishment in 1993. Other names that refer to the EU include the European Community, the European Union of 25, and the European Union of 28, which referred to the number of member states at different points in history. Furthermore, some critics of the EU refer to it as the European Superstate or the Brussels bureaucracy.