Background to the European communities The nation-state had blossomed in the 19th century. Many new nations were formed in Europe with the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire at the end of World War I. Ireland took its decisive steps towards independence at much the same time. The political […]
Category: Development and History
The EEC 1957 to 1985
The European Economic Community In Western Europe, the experience of the depression the Second World War, the development of post-war cooperation and institutions and the efforts of notable individuals including Schuman, Monet and Hallstein contributed to the momentum for more comprehensive cooperation and integration. The European Coal and Steel community proved to be a success […]
Treaty Reform 1985 to 2004
The Single European Act The European Communities were revitalised in the 1980s. With the support of the UK French and German governments under Margaret Thatcher, Francois Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl and dynamic Commission President Jacques Delores, the EEC adopted a program to complete the internal market by 1992. This sought to remove all remaining barriers […]
The Lisbon Treaty
Failed European Constitution The Nice declaration on the future of the European Union called for a deeper and wider debate about the future of the European Union and established a process for further constitutional review. Further treaty revision was seen to be necessary or at least desirable in the context of the greatly increased membership […]
A Unique Supranational Body
The Composition of the European Union The European Union consists of 27 member states, with nearly 500 million inhabitants. Its member states account for nearly 30 per cent of global output. The European Union has evolved progressively. The original six members (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) were joined by Ireland, the […]
Parallel International Cooperation
Economic sphere The Atlantic Charter of 1941 by the United States and the United Kingdom as a rallying cry for nations opposing Germany Italy and Japan called for the renunciation of territorial expansionism disarmament of aggressor states and set out goals for the post-war era based on international economic cooperation. These included the principle that […]