Unit 17

• Schuman and Monet are considered the founding fathers of the EU
• In 1951, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was established to regulate the coal and steel industry in West Germany and France
• The Treaty of Rome in 1957 created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
• The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was formed in 1960 by non-EEC countries, including Great Britain
• In 1968, the EEC, ECSC, and Euratom merged to form the European Community (EC)
• In the 1970s and 1980s, the EC expanded with the entry of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, and Portugal
• The European Monetary System (EMS) was established in 1989 to stabilize exchange rates and curb inflation
• The Single European Act in 1987 introduced changes to the EC structure, including the weighted majority system
• The Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 led to the creation of the European Union, replacing the European Community
• In the 1990s, the EU saw enlargement with the incorporation of former Communist countries and the introduction of the Euro currency
• In 1991, the European Community (EC) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) agreed to establish the European Economic Area, providing a single market for goods, services, and capital
• The European Economic Area became effective on January 1, 1994, eliminating trade barriers between the EU and EFTA
• On January 1, 1995, Sweden, Austria, and Finland formally left EFTA and joined the EU, reducing EFTA to four members: Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein
• The largest single enlargement of the EU occurred on May 1, 2004, when ten new members joined the EU, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus
• Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, with negotiations starting with Turkey and Croatia at that time
• With the 2004 enlargement, the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission had to be adjusted to include representatives from the new member countries
• The European Parliament increased its members from 626 to 736, with seats allocated proportionally to the population size of member countries
• The European Commission was increased to 27 members, one from each member state
• The future of the EU represents a desire for peace and cooperation among sovereign European states, aiming to become a major economic rival to North America and Asia
• The long-term goal of a single federal European political state, as originally envisioned, has largely been rejected
• The European Parliament is composed of one or two members for each EU member-state
• Members of the European Parliament sit and vote by political affiliation, national groups, or linguistic groups
• The European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg
• The Council of Europe institution that requires a unanimous vote is the Council of Ministers
• Unanimous means an agreement reached by all members of a group