Formation and Expansion of the EU

The Formation and Expansion of the European Union

• The European Union (EU) aimed to prevent another war after World War II
• In 1945, politicians aimed to create a union where member states would not resort to conflict.
• The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded in 1951, involving several countries including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
• The ECSC's goal was to merge the coal and steel industries of member countries
• Six years after, the countries signed the "Treaty of Rome," forming the European Economic Community (EEC)
• The EEC combined the ECSC and other communities
• The EEC later evolved into the European Union
• The EU aimed initially to remove trade barriers between its members
• This led to the abolishment of tariffs
• The subsequent expansion included countries like Denmark, Ireland, and the UK, further increasing collaborations
• The enlargement included Greece, Spain, and Portugal
• A significant expansion in 2004 brought in 10 new countries
• This included Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
• Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.
• Croatia became the 28th member in 2013
• The UK's departure, or Brexit, occurred in 2020.
• The EU continues to face challenges concerning the number of countries that can be incorporated into the union and political disagreements
• There are still several countries that want to join the Union, like Turkey, which has been involved in negotiations for a long time but has seen delays.