| Year |
Month |
Event |
| 1950 |
May 9 |
Robert Schuman proposes pooling
Europe's coal and steel industries. |
| 1951 |
April 18 |
European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) Treaty signed. |
| 1957 |
March 25 |
European Economic Community
(EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Treaties signed. |
| 1965 |
April 8 |
Treaty merging the institutions
of the three European Communities signed. |
| 1968 |
July 1 |
Customs Union completed 18
months early. |
| 1973 |
January 1 |
Denmark, Ireland and the United
Kingdom join the Community. |
| 1975 |
February 28 |
First Lome Convention with
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries signed. |
| 1979 |
March 13 |
European Monetary System (EMS)
becomes operative. |
| 1981 |
January 1 |
Greece joins the European
Community. |
| 1985 |
June 29 |
European Council endorses
"White Paper": plan to complete single market by end 1992. |
| 1986 |
January 1 |
Spain and Portugal join the
Community. |
| 1987 |
July 1 |
Single European Act enters into
force. |
| 1989 |
June 26-27 |
Madrid European Council
endorses plan for Economic and Monetary Union. |
| 1990 |
October 3 |
The five Laender of the former
German Democratic Republic enter the Community as part of a united Germany. |
| 1991 |
October 21 |
European Community and European
Free Trade Association (EFTA) agree to form the European Economic Area (EEA). |
| |
December 11 |
Maastricht European Council
agrees Treaty on European Union. |
| |
December 16 |
Poland, Hungary and
Czechoslovakia sign first Europe Agreements on trade and political cooperation. |
| 1993 |
January 1 |
European single market is
achieved on time. |
| |
November 1 |
Treaty on European Union enters
into force after ratification by the member states. |
| 1995 |
January 1 |
Austria, Finland and Sweden
join the European Union. |
| 1997 |
June 17 |
Treaty of Amsterdam is
concluded. |
| 1998 |
March 12 |
European Conference in London
launces Europe-wide consultations on issues related to Common Foreign and Security Policy
and Justice and Home Affairs. |
| |
March 30-31 |
EU opens membership
negotiations with Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. |
| |
May 2 |
Eleven EU member states qualify
to launch the euro on January 1, 1999. |
| |
July 1 |
European Central Bank
inaugurated in Frankfurt, Germany. |
| 1999 |
January 1 |
EMU and euro launched in eleven
EU countries. |
| |
June |
Elections for European
Parliament. |
| 2002 |
January-July |
The euro becomes legal tender
and permanently replaces national currencies in EMU countries. |
