EUROPEAN UNION’S

HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE
• May 8, 1945
• Million of people are dead,
injured or displaced.
• 6 million Jews have been
murdered in the Holocaust.
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE
Its impact:
• Political Factors: Combating
Nationalism, New Political Map,
New International Power
Balance, The German Problem
THE END OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE
Its impact:
•Economic factors: creation
of new international
economic and financial
arrangements
ORGANIZATION FOR EUROPEAN
ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Its short-term task was to manage
US aid, encourage joint economic
policies and discourage barriers to
trade.
In long term, it aims to build a
sound European economy through
the cooperation of its members.
THE NATO IS CREATED
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is
established an intergovernmental
security alliance between the US,
Canada and 10 Western European
Countries.
• Communism was the most obvious
common threat.
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
• Aims to achieve a greater unity between
its members for the purpose of
safeguarding and realizing the ideals and
principles which are their common
heritage and facilitating their economic
and social progress.
• The Hague in May 1948, more cooperation
and less on confrontation.
PLAN FOR NEW POLITICAL
COOPERATION IN EUROPE
• French Foreign Minister Robert
Schuman presents a plan for deeper
cooperation. He proposes integrating
the coal and steel industries of Western
Europe. Alongside Jean Monnet.
• May 9 is celebrated as Europe Day.
EUROPEAN COAL & STEEL
COMMUNITY, 1951
• First
of European Communities.
• 6 countries sign a treaty to run their
coal & steel industries under a
common management.
• No single country can make the
weapons of war to turn against others.
EUROPEAN COAL & STEEL
COMMUNITY
• Main institutions created by ECSC:
• The High Authority. Nine members each from member states. Given
strong independent powers including decision on agreements.
• The Council of Ministers. Six ministers (representatives) from national
governments. Decision-making procedures in the Council on the
matter under consideration, votes are required.
• The Common Assembly. Members were not elected but chosen by
national parliaments. Assembly powers.
• The Court of Justice. Six members from each member states. Settles
conflicts between the states.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY
•In 1957, The Treaty of
Rome establishes a new
ever-closer cooperation
in Europe with EEC and
Euratom.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY
• Main Institutions created by EEC & Euratom:
• Appointed Commission. Principal policy initiator.
Impose decisions on member states.
• Council of Ministers. Principal decision-making
body.
• Assembly. Exercises advisory and supervisory
powers.
• Court of Justice. In charge with the interpretation
and application of the Treaty.
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC
COMMUNITY
• With European Defense Community
(however rejected by FR).
• After rejecting EDC, the founding
countries with UK agreed with new
arrangement for collaboration in
economic, social and cultural matters
and for collective defense incorporated in
to Western European Union.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
• The former Common Assembly of
ECSC was changed into European
Parliament in March 30, 1962.
• First meeting was held in Strasbourg,
France with Robert Schuman as
elected President.
EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION
• The
EFTA is created to promote free
trade and economic integration
between certain countries not in EEC:
Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal,
Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. By 2020,
the EFTA members are Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
FIRST COMMON
AGRICULTURAL POLICY
•Policy that gave EEC
countries joint control
over food production.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL
AGREEMENT OF EEC
• Themembers signed the
Yaounde Convention to
promote cooperation and
trade with 18 former colonies
in Africa, the Caribbean and
Pacific (ACP).
MERGER TREATY
• Merging the executives of 3
communities is signed in
Brussels.
• European Communities will
have a single administrative
arm (the Commission) and a
single executive (the Council).
BEGINNING OF CUSTOMS UNION
•The founding members
removed customs duties on
goods imported from each
other, allowing free cross-
border trade for the first
time.(1968)
1974 – REDUCING DISPARITIES
BETWEEN THE REGIONS
• EEC agrees to set up a new major
fund under the European Regional
Policy. Its purpose is to transfer
money from rich to poor regions –
to improve infrastructure, attract
investment and create jobs.
European Regional Development
Fund
 SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET, 1986
• It
is a program to sort the differences in
national regulations.
• Tidyingprovisions in Treaty of Rome in order
to add new momentum to European
integration to complete the internal market.
• It
strengthen EP powers with legislative
procedures such as cooperation procedure
and the re-launch of European integration.
FALL OF BERLIN WALL, 1989
• Berlin Wall falls and the border
between East and West is opened
for the first time in 28 years.
• Germany is united after more than
40 years, and its Eastern half joins
the European Communities in
October 1990.
 FEBRUARY 7, 1992
MAASTRICHT TREATY
• Thetreaty on European Union is signed
in Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is a
major milestone, setting clear rules for
the future single currency as well as
for foreign and security policy and
closer cooperation in justice and
home affairs. The EU is officially
created by the treaty, which enters
into force on November 1, 1993.
 EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
• The agreement establishing the European
Economic Areas enters into force,
extending the single market to countries
in European Free Trade Association.
Today, people, goods, services and
capital can move around the EEA’s 30
countries (EU- 27 plus Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway). Switzerland
does not take part in the EEA but does
have access to the single market.
 EURO IS BORN, 1999
• Theeuro is introduced in 11 countries
and financial transactions only. Notes
and coins will come later. The first euro
countries are Austria, Belgium, France,
Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal
and Spain. Denmark, Sweden and the
United Kingdom decide to stay out of it
at the time being.
THANK YOU.
MA. ISABELA N. DIZON
Political Science Instructor
Department of Social Sciences