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Europe has, for centuries, been the scene of
frequent and bloody wars. In the period 1870-1945,
France and Germany fought each other three times
to devastating effect. A number of European
leaders came to the conclusion that the only way
to secure a lasting peace between their countries
was to unite them economically and politically.
So, in 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert
Schuman proposed integrating the coal and steel
industries of Western Europe. As a result, in
1951, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
was set up, with six members: Belgium, West
Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the
Netherlands. The power to take decisions about the
coal and steel industry in these countries was
placed in the hands of an independent,
supranational body called the "High
Authority". Jean Monnet was its first
President.
The ECSC was such a success that, within a few
years, these same six countries decided to go
further and integrate other sectors of their
economies. In 1957 they signed the Treaties of
Rome, creating the European Atomic Energy
Community (EURATOM) and the European Economic
Community (EEC). The member states also set about
removing trade barriers between them and made
plans to form a "common market".
In 1967, the institutions of the three European
communities merged. It was from this date onwards
that one Commission, one Council of Ministers and
a European Parliament came into operation.
Originally, the members of the European
Parliament were chosen by the national
parliaments. However, in 1979, the first direct
elections were held, allowing citizens of the
member states to vote for the candidate of their
choice. Since then, direct elections have been
held every five years.
The Treaty of Maastricht (1992) introduced new
forms of co-operation between member states’
governments - for example, on defence and in the
area of "justice and home affairs". By
adding this inter-governmental co-operation to the
existing "Community" system, the
Maastricht Treaty created the European Union (EU).
Economic and political integration between
member states of the European Union has meant that
these countries have had to make joint decisions
on many matters. Accordingly, they have developed
common policies in a very wide range of fields -
from agriculture to culture, from consumer affairs
to competition and from the environment and energy
to transport and trade.
In the early days, the focus was on a common
trade policy for coal and steel and a common
agricultural policy. Additional policies were
added over time as the need arose. Some key policy
aims have been adapted in the light of changing
circumstances. For example, the aim of the
agricultural policy is no longer to produce as
much food as cheaply as possible. Instead, it is
to support farming methods that produce healthy,
high-quality food without damaging the
environment. The need to protect the environment
is now an issue which is taken into account in all
EU policies.
The European Union's relations with the rest of
the world have also gained importance. As well as
negotiating major trade and aid agreements with
other countries, the EU is also developing a
Common Foreign and Security Policy.
In 1992, the EU decided to adopt economic and
monetary union (EMU). This involved the
introduction of a single European currency managed
by a European Central Bank. The single currency -
the euro - became reality on 1 January 2002, when
euro notes and coins replaced national currencies
in twelve of the 15 countries of the European
Union (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Austria, Portugal and Finland).
The EU has grown in size following successive
waves of accessions. Denmark, Ireland and the
United Kingdom joined in 1973, followed by Greece
in 1981, Spain and Portugal in 1986 and Austria,
Finland and Sweden in 1995. The European Union is
now preparing to welcome a further ten countries
from eastern and southern Europe: Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.
These countries are set to join the EU in 2004.
Bulgaria and Romania expect to follow a few years
later and Turkey is also now a candidate country.
To ensure that the EU can continue to function
efficiently with 25 or more members, the
decision-making system must be streamlined. It is
for this reason that the Treaty of Nice lays down
new rules governing the size of the EU
institutions and the way they work. It came into
force on 1 February 2003.
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