European Federation

The European Union, referred to as the European Federation or EUFED to distinguish it from its predecessor, was a state which existed from 2034 to 2072 and grew to encompass most of Europe, Siberia and the Maghreb. It is considered as the predecessor-state to the First Commonwealth and by extent the Terran Federal Republic. The executive seat of the Commission was located in Brussels, whilst the legislative seat of Parliament was located in Strasbourg. 
The Federation was founded in the 2030s to respond to the rapidly declining state of the climate and international affairs. With both the US and China withdrawing from world affairs the EU did largely the same, restraining its influence to its neighbouring area. The EU was however much more effective and particularly so after unifying in 2034. The nation was the one least affected by the Mid-21st century crisis. As such by the end of the Unification Wars, the EUFED accounted for nearly a third of the world's population. It also managed to maintain high standards of living for the majority of its citizens as well as a large and well-equipped military. 
In 2055 the Federation was taken over by the Custodian and his collaborators. He went on to significantly expand the military and launched numerous military campaigns to expand the Federation's borders. These invasions were succesful in large part because of how much weaker most nations were following the 2040s World Famine. In 2061 the Custodian created the Trans-Atlantic Union of which the EUFED was a founding member. Although nominally equal to all the other members, the EUFED's military, economic and demographic dominance allowed it to become the de facto leader of TAU. In 2072 the Federation was dissolved and absorbed into the First Commonwealth.
The EUFED originally had very strong democratic institutions, with the Parliament being directly elected by its population and the Commission indirectly. However, following the Custodian's Coup, the country abruptly became a military dictatorship. Nevertheless it continued with elections, but the Custodian was now the President of the Commission ad vitam aeternam. The new Constitution of 2055 created the position of Custodian, which functioned as an emergency power given by Parliament to the President of the Commission. However, instead of being renewed by Parliament, it voted on whether or not to stop it every four months. A deliberate loophole in the Constitution allowed the Custodian to veto any decision by Parliament, effectively making his mandate permanent until the end of his term as President. This allowed the Custodian to keep emergency powers until 2088, regardless of election results in Parliament. Likewise, whereas the Federation initially kept quite decentralised, but following the Coup extensive centralisation efforts were made. This is illustrated by the progressive abolishment of member-states, replaced by districts.