The European construction

Notre-Dame-De-Lorette international memorial - Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, France

Step Two to better understand the EU: The European construction.

1945, assessment

• Two World Wars
• About 70 million deaths, and millions of people injured or missing
• Genocides
• Two atomic bombings
• Destroyed cities
• Fragile political and economic situation

An idea

• 1946: Winston Churchill talks about “United States of Europe” in his speech delivered at the University of Zurich;
• 9 May 1950: Based on an idea by Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman suggests the pooling at European level of coal and steel production that are used for weapons manufacturing.

Key dates

• 1952: Creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
• 1958: Creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and Euratom
• 1961: Building of the Berlin Wall
• 1968: Creation of the customs union
• 1978: Creation of the European Monetary System (EMS)
• 1979: First election of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage
• 1985: Schengen Agreements
• 1989: Fall of the Berlin wall
• 3 October 1990: German reunification
• 1993: Creation of the European Union (EU)
• 1993: Opening up of internal borders in the Schengen area
• 2002: Entry into circulation of the euro
• 2005: Referendum on the European Constitution
• 2012: The EU is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

Treaties

• 1951: Signing of the Treaty of Paris (creation of the ECSC)
• 1957: Signing of the Treaties of Rome (creation of the EEC)
• 1986: Signing of the Single European Act (preparation of the internal market and free movement of persons, goods, services and capital)
• 1992: Signing of the Treaty of Maastricht (EU citizenship, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Economic and monetary Union, creation of the European Union)
• 1997: Signing of the Treaty of Amsterdam (the EU as “an area of freedom, security and justice”, new EU competence to ensure free movement of persons)
• 2000: Signing of the Treaty of Nice (future enlargements of the EU)
• 2007: Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon (functioning of the European institutions, European citizens' initiative, Charter of Fundamental Rights)

Enlargements

• 1951: Europe of 6 (France, Germany (FRG), Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands)
• 1973: Europe of 9 (Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom)
• 1981: Europe of 10 (Greece)
• 1986: Europe of 12 (Spain and Portugal)
• 3 October 1990: East Germany (DRG) joins the European Community
• 1995: Europe of 15 (Austria, Sweden and Finland)
• 2004: Europe of 25 (Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia)
• 2007: Europe of 27 (Bulgaria and Romania)
• 2013: Europe of 28 (Croatia)

New challenges

• Financial crisis in Greece
• Reception of refugees within the EU
• Schengen area and control of the EU's external borders
• British referendum on EU membership
• Youth unemployment in the EU