ARTICLE (The beginning of the E.U)

The first idea of starting a united community in Europe was originally proposed on the 19th of September in 1946, by Winston Churchill in a speech at Zurich University. He asked for a ‘’kind of United States of Europe‘’. 

The European Union was founded by a group of people who were searching for one same idea. Some of them were diplomatic people, however others were just fighters. They wanted a united Europe, where the people were fed up of revolutions and problems.
Others helped indirectly, proposing ideas and improved changes for the society.

The principal founders were ; Konrad Adanauer , Joseph Bech , Johan Beyen , Winston Churchill , Alcide de Gasperi , Walter Hallstein , Sico Mansholt , Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman , Paul-Henri Spaak , and last but not least Altiero Spinelli.

The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours of the Second World War.

In 1948, the Western Union Treaty was signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. That same year the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was created.

The six founders of the E.U were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or ‘Common Market’.

On 1st January 1973 Denmark, and Great Britain joined the E.U .Two years later, Dictator Franco died in Spain.

In 1981 Greece entered in the E.U, and 10 years later Spain and Portugal joined.

In 1986 the Single European Act was signed. On 9th November 1989, the Berlin Wall was demolished.

In 1995 the EU gained three more new members, Austria, Finland and Sweden. In 2004 some more countries joined the E.U, who were; Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.In 2007 two more countries from eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Romania joined. The last country to join the E.U was Croatia, who joined in 2013.

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Main source: http://europa.eu/about-eu/eu-history/index_en.htm#goto_7

By: Soumiya Drir.