European Union

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic entity consisting of 27 member states. In legal form, it is a complex hybrid structure with elements of federalism (such as the European Court of Justice and the European Parliament), intergovernmentalism (the Council of Ministers) and some characteristics of an international organzation (the European Commission represents the Union in certain international negotiations). It has grown from the six founding member states of the European Economic Community in 1957, through many accessions of new members — especially, in recent years, much of the former European Communist bloc. Most of the Balkan countries (Bulgaria and Romania were the latest accessions) remain outside the Union for the moment, but most are candidate countries.

History

The devastating wars of the first half of the 20th century convinced European politicians that some form of cooperation was needed, so that future wars could be avoided. One of the main proponents was Robert Schuman, foreign minister of France. Schuman proposed a European federation, and the first step would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. This led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, formed in 1951. The original six members were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

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Countries of the EU as of January 1, 2007

Foundation

The Treaty of Rome (1957) formed the first common European market, the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC guaranteed "the four freedoms": the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people. In 1967, the Economic Community, the Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Community were merged into the European Community (EC). The EC created a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament.

Enlargement

The early 1970s saw the first enlargement of the EC. The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark joined. Norway was also invited into the EC, but the electorate rejected it in a referendum. The EC was further enlarged in the 1980s, when Greece joined in 1981 and Portugal and Spain in 1986. Sweden, Finland, and Austria were admitted into the Union in 1995, but the Norwegians again declined to join.

The next round of expansion came in 2004, when Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus joined. This was the first time countries in Eastern Europe had joined the EU. In 2007, Romania and Bulgaria also joined the EU.

Maastricht Treaty

The Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992, and transformed the European Community into the European Union.

Amsterdam Treaty

The Amsterdam Treaty of 1997 amended the Maastricht Treaty. It gave more power to the European Parliament,

Euro

One of the most important events in the history of the European Union came in 1999, when eleven countries adopted the euro as their common currency. Greece and Slovenia have since joined the Eurozone.

EU Constitution

The 2004 Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was ratified by 17 member countries, but was rejected by French and Dutch voters.