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End of World War II
World War II ends in Europe. Millions of people around the world take to the streets to celebrate the victory, marking the end of the deadliest military conflict in history in which 60 million people died -
Start the Cold War
Political tensions between eastern and western Europe over ideology, economics and government lead to a ‘Cold War’- fought with proxy wars rather than direct military conflict - that lasts for more than 40 years. -
Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union
Schuman’s vision starts to take shape when six countries — Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — sign a treaty to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production -
Treaty of Rome
Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands sign the Treaties of Rome, creating the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community or ‘common market’, allowing people, goods and services to move freely across borders. -
Creation of European Council
is created with the intention of establishing an informal forum for discussion between heads of state or government. -
First European Elections
The European elections have been held every 5 years since then. You have the right to vote at 18 in all EU countries except Austria, Malta (16), and Greece (17). -
Greece joins the European Communities
Greece becomes the 10th country to join the European Communities, now known as the European Union. -
Spain and Portugal join the European Communities
Spain and Portugal join the European Communities, bringing the total number of members to twelve. -
Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU
Austria, Finland and Sweden join the EU, increasing its membership to 15. -
Treaty of Amsterdam
The Treaty of Amsterdam is signed in the capital of the Netherlands. It prepares the European Union for the arrival of future Member States. From now on, a new Commission president can only be appointed with the approval of the European Parliament. -
Ten more countries join the EU
10 new countries are included in the European Union: Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Slovenia. -
Bulgaria and Romania join the EU
Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union, bringing its membership to 27. -
A new economic crisis
A major financial crisis hits the world economy, triggering a recession. The initial spark was problems with mortgage loans in the US, and several European banks also experience difficulties. The recession that follows is a global one and the EU economy takes a big hit. The crisis necessitated closer economic cooperation between EU countries. -
Croatia joins the EU
Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union