If you don't mind me asking, what part of Europe are you from?

American here, so American view.

The European Union is vital for the growth, safety and development of the world. Your father mentions that World War I & World War II were ignited because of events in Europe, which is very well true.

Nationalism, arms race and territorial gains & disputes were all incidents that led to World War I, with the after effects leading to World War II.

The ending of World War II led to the Cold War, with tensions between western Europe and eastern Europe very high for decades. After the Berlin Wall fell, if it wasn't for the creation of the European Union, the stability in Europe might very well be questioned and eastern Europe might not have made as many gains in the past two decades without it.

Of course, the European Union has been and continues to be tested on issues that it hasn't had to deal with before. Not to mentioned that many countries in Europe are dealing with economic and social issues as well.

In a way, many countries in Europe have addressed issues that the United States is still addressing, such as health care, education, rehabilitating criminals (non-violent crimes) and providing for the people in time of need (welfare programs in the US doesn't solve the problem and helps contribute to it).

But in many ways, the United States has dealt (and still dealing with many) issues that Europe is now experiencing, such as cultural (still dealing) and race issues (still dealing), immigration (still dealing), strength of the government while balancing the rights of the countries (states) (which is still a delicate balance), aging population, an unstable border with a continually aggressive neighbor that flexes its military might to get what it wants (friendly border with Canada and Mexico (illegal immigration is still an issue with both countries)).