Timeline of the European Union

1. Timeline of the European Union • So, now that you have a better idea of what the European Union actually is, let’s see how the EU has evolved over the years. • Follow through this slideshow to find out about significant events in the history of the EU.

2. 1946 - 1950 • Europe needs to recover from the effects of WWII • With aid from the United States, European countries begin post-war reconstruction. • Discussions start about the possibility of cooperation between several countries.

3. 1951 • April 18: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and Italy (also known as The Six), sign the Treaty of Paris. • This establishes the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) • Purpose: to make decisions about the coal and steel industry in these countries. • First President: Jean Monnet

4. 1957 • “The Six” signs the Treaties of Rome – treaties that established the European Economic Community (ECC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) • Recap: Now there are three European “communities”: the ECSC, the EEC, and Euratom.

5. 1965 • April 8: “The Six” signs the Merger Treaty in Brussels • The treaty merges the executives of the three Communities (the ECSC, ECC, Euratom), giving them a Single Commission and Single Council • Entered into force 1 July 1967 • From this point in time on, this web site will refer to these three communities as the “European Community.”

6. 1973 • 1 January: Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom join the European Community • Oil crisis affects the European Community

7. 1979 • 13 March: The European Monetary System (EMS) enters into force. The EMS is based on a European currency unit, whose value is based on several national currencies, weighted according to the relative strength of each. • 7-10 June: for the first time, the members of the European Parliament are selected by direct election.

8. 1981 • 1 January: Greece joins the European Community

9. 1986 • 1 January: Spain and Portugal join the European Community • 17 & 28 February: The Single European Act is signed (to come into force 1 July 1987). The SEA is a wide revision of the 1957 Treaties of Rome, and includes issues such as the single market.

10. 1989 • 9 November: the Berlin Wall opens. East Germans can now travel to West Germany via Berlin.

11. 1990 • 19 June: The Schengen Agreement is signed. This abolishes border checks between participating member states of the European Communities. • 3 October: Germany is reunited.

12. 1992 • The Maastricht Treaty on the European Union is signed (to enter into fforce on 1 November 1993). The basic components are: • a common foreign security policy • Closer cooperation on justice and home affairs • Creation of an economic and monetary union

13. 1993 • 1 January: The Single Market is created

14. 1995 • 1 January: Austria, Finland, and Sweden join the European Union.

15. 1997 • 2 October: The Amsterdam Treaty is signed (to come into force 1 May 1999). This treaty gives the EU new powers and responsibilities.

16. 1999 • 1 January: The Euro replaces the currencies of 11 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain*). This single currency is first launched on the money markets. • *Greece eventually joins these Euro countries.

17. 2001 • 26 February: To prepare the EU’s decision making system for enlargement, the Treaty of Nice is signed (to come into force 1 February 2003).

18. 2002 • 1 January: The Euro (bank notes and coins) comes into circulation in the Euro area countries. • 31 May: The 15 EU member states ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for worldwide reduction of air pollution.

19. 2004 • 1 May: Ten new states join the European Union: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia

20. 2007 • 1 January: Romania and Bulgaria join the European Union, bringing the total number of member states to 27!

21. 2013 • 1 July: Croatia joins the European Union. Now the EU has 28 members!