It called for a joint army to be controlled by a new supranational defense minister. Two bloody wars had been fought on the continent. 1980 - 1989 During the decade more and more countries adopt the euro. Contributions of 120 billion euros a year from member states fund the EU. War had left Europe exhausted, with industry greatly damaged and defenses possibly unable to stop Russia. The euro is now the new currency for many Europeans. Levchenko, A & Zhang, J. 2000 - the 'Lisbon Strategy' shifted the EU's priorities towards growth, jobs and innovation. The issue of the UK’s departure from the EU continues to be hotly debated, but it can be easy to forget that our relationship with the European project has never been a smooth one. The entry into force of the Withdrawal Agreement marks the start of a transition period until at least 31 December 2020, during which the UK remains a member of the Single Market and the Customs Union. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the European Union on 1 January 1973, raising the number of Member States to nine. A new security policy is established in the wake of the annexation of Crimea by Russia. Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Thus the EU is the … Norway applied at the same time but withdrew after a referendum failed. The priorities of cohesion policy were shifted to reflect this. History of the European Union. Watch full episodes of your favorite HISTORY series, and dive into thousands of historical articles and videos. European Commission – Regional Policy - Inforegio. The EU is faced with the challenge of how to take care of them, while safeguarding their welfare and respecting their human rights. There were objections from poorer member nations, which wanted more money from the union, and larger nations, which wanted to pay less, but a compromise was eventually reached. In 2016, the EU adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), one of its greatest achievements in recent years. The EU wasn't created in one go by the Maastricht Treaty but was rather the result of gradual integration since 1945. It was rejected in 2005, when France and the Netherlands failed to ratify it and before other EU members got the chance to vote. The initiative was rejected after France’s National Assembly voted it down. Reconstruction and catch-up with pre-war levels were broadly completed by 1950, so other factors were at play. A group of "supranational" (a level of governance above nation states) bodies was created to manage the ECSC: a council of ministers, a common assembly, a high authority, and a court of justice to legislate, develop ideas, and resolve disputes. Europe’s post-war nations weren’t just seeking peace; they were also after solutions to economic problems, such as raw materials being in one country and the industry to process them in another. Now European Parliament members were given the ability to vote on legislation and issues, with the number of votes dependent on each member’s population. 1956) became high representative for foreign affairs. Learn more about the EU … A false step was taken in the mid-1950s when a proposed European defense community among the ESSC’s six states was drawn up. (2012). By 2013 the group had 28 member countries. The European Union (EU) was formed to bring together the countries of Europe. This is a treaty which provides the basis for a vast six-year programme aimed at sorting out the problems with the free flow of trade across EU borders and thus creates the ‘Single Market’. The 1965 Brussels Treaty merged the commissions of the EEC, ECSC, and Euratom to create a joint, permanent civil service. It began on July 23, 1952, and ended on July 23, 2002, replaced by further unions. By the winter of 2009 all 27 EU states had ratified the process, and it took effect. They also agree joint control over food production, so that everybody now has enough to eat - and soon there is even surplus agricultural produce. It aimed to continue economic growth and avoid the protectionist policies of pre-war Europe. With the collapse of communism across central and eastern Europe, Europeans become closer neighbours. ThoughtCo. A brief History of the EU 1951: European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) is founded by the Treaty of Paris. In 1957, the Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community (EEC), or ‘Common Market’. (2020, August 27). While there was opposition, 10 nations joined in 2004 and two in 2007. The 1990s is also the decade of two treaties: the ‘Maastricht’ Treaty on European Union in 1993 and the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999. European elections are held in 2014 and more Eurosceptics are elected into the European Parliament. Capital: Brussels (Belgium) Population: 513,500,000 Brief History of European Union: The foundations for the European Union were laid at the Hague Congress in 1948. A Brief History Of The EU It started as a treaty to merge the coal and steel industries among key European countries. The Convention on the Future of Europe was created in 2002 to write an EU constitution. The historical evolution of EU-UK relations 2 June 2017; Event report; gsclibrary; EU member states Institutional affairs. The European Union that we know today is not as old as you think. In 1981, Greece becomes the 10th member of the EU, and Spain and Portugal follow five years later. The members are West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It provides the EU with modern institutions and more efficient working methods. Its western frontiers seem clearly defined by its coastline, yet the position of the British Isles remains equivocal. Currency and economic reform were now being driven largely by the fact that the U.S. and Japanese economies were growing faster than Europe’s, especially after expanding quickly into the new developments in electronics. Croatia becomes the 28th member of the EU in 2013. The EU also set guidelines for creation of a single currency, although when the Euro was introduced on Jan. 1, 1999 three nations opted out and one failed to meet the required targets. Meanwhile, member states began to see European integration as a way to balance the influence of Russia and the U.S. On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU and become the first member state to use a previously untouched release clause, but the final Brexit, as the move become known, has yet to occur. Robert Wilde is a historian who writes about European history. This came into force on Nov. 1, 1993, and changed the EEC into the newly named European Union. The European Union: A History and Overview, Countries Using the Euro as Their Currency, What Is an Embargo? History of Europe, history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. During the Neolithic era (starting at c. 7000 BC.) Worries over international crime, as criminals had formed effective cross-border organizations, were now acting as an impetus. In 1986 the Single European Act is signed. From resistance fighters to lawyers and parliamentarians, the EU pioneers were a diverse group of people who held the same ideals: a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. EU is still young. In 2012, the European Union is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It would have also allowed the EU to make many more decisions instead of the heads’ of the individual members. This was a significant step towards the EU as we know it. The six founding countries are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The United States of Europe was a … Ireland and Denmark, heavily dependent upon the UK economy, followed it in to keep pace and attempt to develop themselves away from Britain. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-european-union-1221595. The original aim was to tie countries together by forging closer industrial and economic cooperation. However, in 2016, one member—the United Kingdom—voted to leave the EU. The last right-wing dictatorships in Europe come to an end with the overthrow of the Salazar regime in Portugal in 1974 and the death of General Franco of Spain in 1975. A century later, in 43 AD, a full-scale invasion followed. The European Communities were well established by the mid-60’s and spurring the EC forward. It has been argued that this slowed union by two decades. Wilde, Robert. The fight against pollution intensifies in the 1970s. The European Parliament increases its influence in EU affairs and in 1979 all citizens can, for the first time, elect their members directly. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, The Maastricht Treaty and the European Union. Foreign policy became an area for consultation and group action. The fight against pollution intensifies in the 1970s. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates. The European Union (EU) was founded as a result of the Maastricht Treaty on Nov. 1, 1993. The EU was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between its neighbors, which culminated in the World War II. The European Union (EU) was founded as a result of the Maastricht Treaty on Nov. 1, 1993. Also created was the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to boost members' farming and an end to monopolies. People are concerned about how to protect the environment and also how Europeans can act together when it comes to security and defence matters. As of 2019, there were 28 countries in the European Union (with year of joining): The development of the EU slowed in the 1970s, frustrating federalists who sometimes refer to it as a "dark age." Under the Merger Treaty, all three communities were fused into one, managed by the Single Commission, Council and Assembly. Without their energy and motivation, we would not be living in the sphere of peace and stability that we take for granted. Herman Van Rompuy (b. New York: Taylor & Francis Group. Web. The EU adopts laws to protect the environment, introducing the notion of ‘the polluter pays’ for the first time. The relations between the countries were poor. Industry and Agriculture History in Europe, M.A., Medieval Studies, Sheffield University, B.A., Medieval Studies, Sheffield University. European Union (EU), international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing common economic, social, and security policies. Europe saw massive migrations from east and southeast which also brought agriculture, new technologies, and the Indo-European languages, primarily through the areas of the Balkan peninsula and the Black sea region. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-european-union-1221595 (accessed April 8, 2021). An amended work, the Lisbon Treaty, still aimed to install an EU president and foreign minister, as well as expand the EU’s legal powers, but only through developing the existing bodies. Following is a list of important dates in the history of the European Union: 1951France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands sign the Treaty of Paris establishing the European Coal and Steel Community which comes into force … For others, it is the best way to meet challenges smaller nations might struggle with—such as economic growth and negotiations with larger nations—and worth surrendering some sovereignty to achieve. 1947), at that time Belgium prime minister, became the first president of the European Council, and Britain’s Catherine Ashton (b. France, afraid Britain would try to quash the plan, didn’t include them in initial discussions. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-history-of-the-european-union-1221595. EU countries begin to work much more closely together to fight crime. It is a political and economic union between European countries that sets policies concerning the members’ economies, societies, laws, and, to some extent, security. In purely economic terms, WWII was remarkable both by the extent of destruction and the speed of recovery. Over the last 25 years, technology has transformed our lives in ways nobody could have imagined so a review of the rules was needed.