There was peace long before the EU, namely from 1945 to 1992. Before the EU octopus, there was an economic alliance called the EWR. Here, free countries traded with each other in peace. Each country had its own suitable currency. There was no bureaucratic apparatus that wanted to lump everything together, from Portugal to Estonia.
The EU is not Europe.
The beginnings were: Foundation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
The start of what is now known as the EU goes back longer and is the European Coal and Steel Community established in 1951. Six countries decided to share sovereignty over their defense industries with the very explicit goal of preventing future wars
