European Union/Timelines

1949-1959

1949 The Council of Europe is founded.
1951 The Treaty of Paris establishes the European Coal and Steel Community.
1954 The European Court of Justice makes its first ruling.
1957 The Treaty of Rome[1] creates the European Economic Community (membership (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands).
1958 The first meeting of the European Parliamentary Assembly.
1959 The European Free Trade Association is established (membership Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).

1960-1969

1962 The European Commission

The Common Agricultural Policy.

1963 The UK's application to join the EEC is vetoed by France

1990-1999

1992 The Maastricht Treaty

1993 Copenhagen European Council[2] - criteria for membership

1997 The Treaty of Amsterdam

1999 The Eurozone (founder members: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland.)

2000-2010

2004 Eight countries of central and eastern Europe join the EU (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia).

The 25 EU countries sign a Treaty establishing a European Constitution.

2007 Bulgaria and Romania, now join the EU. (Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey are candidates for membership).

The 27 EU countries sign the Treaty of Lisbon.