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Treaty of Paris establishes European Coal and Steel Community ECSC
A meeting in view of the creation of the European Community of Defence is held in Paris, France. Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Germany attend the meeting alongside six observer countries (USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands). -
European Parliamentary Assembly
Alcide de Gasperi is elected president of the European Parliamentary Assembly. -
The Treaty of Rome a first step towards the common market
The EEC aims to create a common market a customs union plus free movement of capital and labour. To please France it also promises subsidies to farmers. -
The EEC takes off dominating the other European communities
The EEC starts work and quickly establishes itself as the most important of the European communities. It has a commission a council of ministers and an advisory parliamentary assembly whose members are drawn from national parliaments. -
EFTA is launched another kind of Europe
The Council adopts legislation on the European Social Fund. The aim of the fund is promoting employment and geographical and professional mobility of workers within the Community. -
French President Charles de Gaulle vetoes British membership
General de Gaulle, president of the French Republic, states that France doubts the political will of the United Kingdom to join the Community. A few days later, negotiations with all applicant countries are suspended. -
Treaty creating a single Council and a Commission for the three communities comes into effect
The Merger Treaty enters into force, thus fusing the executives of the European Communities (ECSC, EEC, Euratom). From now on, the European Communities will have a single Commission and a single Council. However, both continue to act in accordance with the rules governing each of the Communities. -
The European Community customs union is completed
The European Court of Justice celebrates its 10th anniversary. A large number of representatives of the Community institutions, the governments and the senior Courts and administrative tribunals of the Member States attend the formal meeting held for the occasion. -
Britain Denmark and Ireland join the European Community
A summit is held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The energy crisis leads the Member States to agree on the introduction of a common energy policy. A statement on European identity, drafted as part of political cooperation arrangements and approved by foreign ministers, is released. -
Europe Gateway
A European Council is held in Brussels, Belgium. The European Council asks the Foreign Affairs Council for a report on the election of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage. The report is to be issued by the end of the year. -
The road to the euro begins with the EMS
The European Monetary System EMS introduces the European currency unit Ecu and the exchange rate mechanism ERM. The Ecu a unit for the communitys internal budget also takes on some of the features of a real currency it is used for travellers cheques and bank deposits. The ERM gives national currencies an exchange rate band denominated in Ecus. All EC members join except the UK. -
Greece becomes the ECs 10th member
The Netherlands take over the Presidency of The Council of the European Communities. Greece becomes the 10th member of the European Community. -
Jacques Delors becomes president of the European Commission
The eleventh Western Economic Summit is held in Bonn, Germany. The Commission presents declarations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII and on sustainable growth and employment. -
Portugal and Spain join the EC and the European flag is unveiled
The Netherlands take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Communities. Spain and Portugal join the European Communities. -
Maastricht turns the Community into a Union
The UK negotiates an optout on both. The treaty also introduces European citizenship giving Europeans the right to live and vote in elections in any EU country and launches European cooperation in foreign affairs security asylum and immigration. -
Crisis at the commission fraud and resignation
The European Commission publishes the codes of conduct for Members of the Commission and the relations between Commissioners and Commission departments. -
National currencies replaced by euro notes and coins
The euro came into existence in 1999 as the official currency of 11 countries. Greece adopted the currency two years later though Sweden Denmark and the UK stayed out. On 1 January 2002 euro notes and coins were introduced in the 12 participating states and over the next few months their national currencies were phased out. -
Plans for a European constitution suffer a setback
A referendum is held in Malta on the country joining the European Union. The majority is in favour of accession. -
The EU enlarges and a new constitution is signed
Enlargement goes ahead on 1 May 2004. Elections to the European parliament in June 2004 the sixth since European polls began in 1979 are held in 25 countries from Ireland to Cyprus and Malta to Finland -
New candidates admitted
Romania and Bulgaria become member states on 1 January 2007. Privately many European politicians question whether they are ready. But harsh penalties are threatened if the countries fail to continue making progress in curbing organised crime and corruption and ensuring food safety and the proper use of EU funds.
