The history of the European Union Athens （欧盟雅典的历史）.pdf

The history of the European Union The modern-day European Union is a direct result of a determination among European politicians to prevent future violent conflicts in Europe after World War II. The original aim was to tie countries together by forging closer industrial and economic cooperation. Since then, the EU’s responsibilities have grown in response to new challenges and many more countries have joined. 1950: French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposes integrating the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. This leads to the Treaty of Paris, creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), in 1951, with six members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. 1957: The same six countries sign the Treaties of Rome, creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). They begin removing trade barriers between them and move towards creating a ‘common market’. 1967: The institutions of the EEC, ECSC and EURATOM are merged to form a single set of institutions: the European Commission, European Council and European Parliament (with members selected initially by national parliaments). 1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the European Community. 1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament take place, with voters in each EU Member State electing the members. 1981: Greece joins the European Community (EC). 1986: Portugal and Spain join the European Community. The Single European Act is signed by EU governments, providing for the creation of a single market in which people, goo