1The European Union

A BRIEF PRESENTATION OF

THE EUROPEAN UNIONMore than 50 Years of Peace, Prosperity and Partnership

2The European Union

Pre-1945:

Previous unifications based on force: Roman Empire, Nazi Germany

First peaceful proposal: Creation of a union of Christian nations against the Turks (1464).

Idea of some form of unified Europe: Victor Hugo... (stronger after World War I).

Between World Wars: Pan-European Movement

The idea of Europe

Map of the Greatest Extentof the Roman Empire

Large areas of Europe had previously been unified by empires built on force, such as the Roman Empire, Frankish Empire, Holy Roman Empire, the First French Empire and Nazi Germany.

After the Fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 A.D., the first proposal for peaceful methods of unifying Europe against a common enemy emerged. A creation of a union of Christian nations against the Turks in 1464 was proposed.

In the 19th century. Napoleon introduces the concept United States of Europe. This concept was held by many important people (Victor Hugo (1849) A day will come when we shall see... the United States of America and the United States of Europe face to face).

Such ideas became greater in Western Europe following World War I, with the massive loss of life it entailed. An example of an organization formed between the wars to promote the idea of European Union is the Pan-Europa movement (1923. It still exists. It presented the idea of a unified European State. The stated goal of the organization is the unity of a Christian Europe. The International Paneuropean Union has four main basic principles: liberalism, Christianity, social responsibility and pro-Europeanism).

It was not until after World War II that real steps were taken in Western Europe.

The devastating impact of the World Wars did not create such an ideological effect in Russia, because it adhered to an ideology of its own, the Communism.

3The European Union

1951:

After World War II, the aim was to secure peace.

Churchills call for a United States of Europe(1946)

First pan-European Organization: Council of Europe (1949)

Treaty of Paris (1951). Creation of European Coal and Steel Community to run heavy industries (coal and steel) under common management.

Six founding countries Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands

Peace forged from cold steel

Jean Monnet and other leaders with the first European ingot of steel

World War II from 1939 to 1945 saw a human and economic cost which hit Europe hardest. It demonstrated the horrors of war and also of extremism .

To ensure Germany could never threaten the peace again, its heavy industry was partly dismantled and its main coal-producing regions were detached, or put under international control.

In 1948, the Congress of Europe was carried under Winston Churchill's chairman. The congress discussed the formation of a new Council of Europe. However it exposed a division between unionist (opposed to a loss of sovereignty) and federalist (desiring a federal Europe) supporters. This unionist-federalist divide was reflected in the establishment of the Council of Europe in 1949. The Council was designed with two main political bodies, one composed of governments, the other of national members of parliament. It was based in Strasbourg. It is an organisation dealing with democracy and human rights issues

French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed a community to integrate the coal and steel industries of Europe - these being the two elements necessary to make weapons of war.

On the basis of that speech, France, Italy, the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) together with West Germany signed the Treaty of Paris (1951) creating the European Coal and Steel Community. It lifted some restrictions on German industrial productivity. The United Kingdom refused to participate due to a rejection of supranational authority. It gave birth to the first institutions, such as the High Authority (now the European Commission) and the Common Assembly (now the European Parliament).

4The European Union

1951

Founding Members

BelgiumFrance

GermanyItaly

LuxembourgNetherlands

5The European Union

Expanding cooperation

Treaty of Rome (1957).

Creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) or common market.

Creation of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

Three Communities

1957:

Signing of the Treaty of Rome

the European Defense Community was drawn up and signed on 27 May 1952. It would combine national armies and allow West Germany to rearm under the control of the new Community. However in 1954, the treaty was rejected by the French National Assembly. The rejection also derailed further plans for a European Political Community, being drawn up by members of the Common Assembly which would have created a federation to ensure democratic control over the future European army.

After failed attempts at creating defense (European Defense Community) and political communities (European Political Community). They focused on economic unity, leading to the Treaties of Rome being signed in 1957 which established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) among the members

6The European Union

Enlargement Policy

1960s French rejection to UK membership.

Three Communities merging into -> European Communities (1967)

1973: Three new members United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland.

First of several enlargements.

19731993:

De Gaulle's veto delayed the first enlargement

Throughout the 1960s tensions began to show with France seeking to limit supranational power and rejecting the membership of the United Kingdom.

However, in 1965 an agreement was reached to merge the three communities under a single set of institutions, and hence the Merger Treaty was signed in Brussels and came into force on 1 July 1967 creating the European Communities.

After much negotiation, and following a change in the French Presidency, Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom (with Gibraltar) eventually joined the European Communities on 1 January 1973. This was the first of several enlargements which become a major policy area of the Union.

In 1979, the European Parliament held its first direct elections by universal suffrage.

7The European Union

1973

DenmarkIreland

United Kingdom

8The European Union

1981

Greece

In 1985, Greenland voted to leave the Community.

9The European Union

1986

PortugalSpain

European Flag was adopted in 1986

the adoption of the European flag by the Communities

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The European Union

November 1989

Fall of theBerlin Wall

sets thestage forunifying

Europe andEU

enlargement

In 1989, following upheavals in Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall fell, along with the Iron curtain. Germany reunified and the door to enlargement to the former eastern bloc was opened

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The European Union

European Union

Maastricht Treaty (Treaty of the European Union).

1995: Three new members Austria, Sweden and Finland.

1990s EURO development. 1 January 2002 notes and coins were put into circulation.

1993-2004:

The signing of the Maastricht Treaty which created the EU legally

The Maastricht Treaty (Treaty on the European Union) became effective, creating the European Union

Negotiations concluded with Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Each country held a referendum on membership which resulted in a majority in all but Norway, which hence stayed out of the EU. However, Norway did participate with Iceland and Liechtenstein in the European Economic Association (entered into force on 1 January 1994), which allowed European Free Trade Association states to enter the Single European Market

The 1990s also saw the further development of the euro.

First step where 11 members (the 15, minus Sweden, Denmark, Greece and the United Kingdom) would adopt the euro in 1999. 2000 saw the Commission recommending Greece joining the eurozone, which it did at the start of 2001. However, both Denmark and Sweden rejected the currency in referendums. On 1 January 2002, the physical euro currency came into circulation in the 12 eurozone states

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The European Union

1995

AustriaFinlandSweden

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The European Union

Biggest Enlargement

Nice Treaty. Draft of European Constitution.

Ten new members.

2004

Latvian European car plate

The Nice Treaty was signed on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003 while the European Convention began drafting the European Constitution. The Nice Treaty made the final preparations before the 2004 enlargement to 10 new members.

Finally, on 1 May 2004, the Union expanded from 15 to 25 members, the largest single expansion in its history. Its population jumped from 381 million to 456 million

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The European Union

2004

CyprusCzech Republic

EstoniaHungaryLatvia

LithuaniaMaltaPoland

SlovakiaSlovenia

Picture of the Europe Union of 25 State Members

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The European Union

Latest Enlargement

Two new members Romania and Bulgaria.

Existing Candidates.

2007

Turkey formally apply to join the European Community in 1987

In 2007, the fifth enlargement completed with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria on 1 January.

In 1987 Turkey formally applied to join the Community and began the longest application process for any country

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The European Union

2007

BulgariaRomania

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The European Union

Candidate Countries

Croatia

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Turkey

Potential

Candidate Countries

Albania

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Montenegro

Serbia including Kosovo under UN Security Council

Resolution 1244

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The European Union

27

7

30

490million

Member States

Combined population of

EU Member States

Percent of worldspopulation

Percent of global GDP

55Percent of combinedworldwide OfficialDevelopment Assistance

More than 50 Years of Integration Europe has enjoyed the longest period of

peace in its history

Enlargement has:

- Inspired reforms and consolidated common principles.

- Enhanced the EUs weight in the world.

1957 2007

Member States 6 27

Population 174 million 493 million

Some Figures of the European Union Nowadays:

27 member states -> Population 490 million people (7% of worlds population) with 30 % of world Gross Domestic Product.

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The European Union

United in Diversity - The uro

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The European Union

The uro1999: the EURO was established as a currency in eleven Member States.

2002: Physical notes and coins were introduced in twelve Member States.

2007-2009: Four new members adopt EURO.

Eurozone: 16 State Members

Finally Greece joined in 2002.

1st January 2007, Slovenia adopted the euro, after other candidates such as Lithuania were turned down due to inflation. Malta and Cyprus adopted the euro on 1 January 2008. Slovakia became the Eurozone's sixteenth member the 1 January 2009.

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The European Union

The term "eurozone" or "euro area" can also be taken informally to include third countries that have adopted the euro, for example Montenegro .Three European microstates Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican have concluded agreements with the European Union permitting them to use the euro as their official currency and mint coins, but they are neither formally part of the eurozone nor represented on the board of the European Central Bank. Several other countries have officially adopted the euro as their sole currency, such as Andorra, Kosovo[a] and Montenegro, without even an agreement. These states are also not considered part of the official eurozone

Denmark and the United Kingdom obtained special opt-outs in the original Maastricht Treaty of the European Union. Both countries are legally exempt from joining the eurozone unless their governments decide otherwise. The current Danish government has announced plans to hold a referendum on the issue following the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon.

The remaining currencies are expected to follow as soon as they meet the criteria.

Sweden gained a de facto opt-out by exploiting a legal loophole. It does not work to meet the criteria to join, deliberately staying out of ERM II, and so is not able to adopt the currency as it is obliged to. This is because the Swedish public rejected the euro in a referendum. The Commission tolerates this, but has stated that it would not be lenient on any future members attempting this action.

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The European Union

A BRIEF PRESENTATION OF

THE EUROPEAN UNIONMore than 50 Years of Peace, Prosperity and Partnership

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