User:Electionworld/sandbox/European Union

Timeline of the European Union

This scheme is a timelime of the history of the European Union, part of the series of Series of multiple timelines of European countries and territories.

Introduction - Other timelines - Index of timelines

The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Each member state is party to the founding treaties of the union and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. Unlike members of most international organisations, the member states of the EU are subjected to binding laws in exchange for representation within the common legislative and judicial institutions. Among the institutions are the European Council, consisting out of the heads of states or governments of the member states, presided by the President of the European Council, the European Commission as executive branch and the European Parliament.

European Coal and Steel Community 1951: With the Treaty of Paris → Belgium, → France, → Germany, → Italy, → Luxembourg and the → Netherlands establish the European Coal and Steel Community, in force in 1952. European Economic Community, European Coal and Steel Community and European Atomic Energy Community 1957: With the Treaty of Rome → Belgium, → France, → Germany, → Italy, → Luxembourg and the → Netherlands establish the European Economic Community, in force in 1958. In the Euratom Treaty they found the European Atomic Energy Community. 1972: In a referendum, → Norway decides not to join the communities. 1973: → Denmark (with Greenland, without → Faroe Islands, → Ireland and the → United Kingdom join the communities. 1981: → Greece joins the communities. 1982: Greenland decides in a referendum to leave the communities. 1986: → Portugal and → Spain join the communities. European Union 1993: The EEC is renamed into the European Community, the institutions of the three communities merge into the institutions of the European Communities, being the first pillar of the European Union. 1994: In a referendum, → Norway decides not to join the communities. 1995: → Austria, → Finland and → Sweden join the European Union. 2002: The ECSC ceases to exist. 2004: → Cyprus, the → Czech Republic, → Estonia, → Hungary, → Latvia, → Lithuania, → Malta, → Poland, → Slovakia, and → Slovenia join the European Union. 2007: → Bulgaria and → Romania join the European Union. 2009: With the Treaty of Lisbon the European Community is dissolved into the European Union, becoming an overall legal unit. 2011: The Western European Union is abolished after its tasks had been integrated into the European Union. 2013: → Croatia joins the European Union. 2016: In a referendum the → United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union. This leads to negotations with the Union about when and how to leave the Union.