06/14/05

The European Union as we know it today is nothing but the evolution of one first agreement that was the European Coal and Steel Community (signed in 1950). Six countries signed this agreement: Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands. The agreement was an idea of the French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, who thought that the only way to end with the continuous wars between his country and Germany would be to reach an agreement and to establish some common policies.

This agreement was a complete success and so the countries involve wanted to extend the agreement to other industries. There were many attempts to increase the level of cooperation and to reach a common market but it would not be until 1956, in Venice, that the Foreign minister of the member countries would not sat to set the bases of what it would be the European Economic Community. This meting would lead to the Treaty of Rome, in 1957. This treaty meant the creation of the European Atomic Energy community and the European Economic Community (EEC). The objective of having a common market was closer.

All the counties that had signed de agreement saw very positive things on it and so they decided taking another step into integration. In 1967 all three existing communities merged. From this point there will only exist one single commission as well as one Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. For more than ten years the members of the European parliament were elected by the national parliaments. It was not until 1979 that the citizens of the member states could vote their candidates. Since the first elections, there have been elections each five years.

The first enlargement that the European Union suffered was in between this period. In 1973 three new countries joined the EEC. These countries were Denmark and both countries from the British Islands, Great Britain and Ireland. Again, in the eighties there were three more enlargements. This time it was Greece, which joined in 1981, and both Spain and Portugal, which did it in 1986.

If 1967 was a very important date, 1992 was even more important for the community. A new treaty was signed this year, the Treaty of Maastricht. New agreements were reached in this treaty. Since then, the common market was a wider mining. In not only products or service, but also people can more freely inside the member countries. There were also other important agreement linked to justice and defense. However, if this date will be always remember is because the name of the union changed into the one we all know today, the European Union. 

The first enlargement of the European Union would be in 1995, with the adhesion of three new counties: Austria, Finland and Sweden. The well-known Europe of the fifteen was created and it would not be until 2004 when a new enlargement took place. This new enlargement was different to all the other. It was not only because of the number of countries joining, ten, but because it has been the first move that Europe has done to the east. There were many former communist countries that joined this time. The new countries were Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Moreover, this is not the last step that Europe has planed to towards the eastern part of Europe. Bulgaria and Rumania are expected to join in 2007 and there could be a possibility in the future for Croatia and Turkey.

However, it would be wrong to understand the European Union as a close group against the world. There are many countries that have special agreements with the EU. Countries such as Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro, China and many other countries have agreements for many kids of cooperation.

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