Following the Schuman Plan, “the six” (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) set up the European Coal and Steel Community.

Meanwhile, Benelux is formed by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Both formations provide instructive early examples of integration.

1957–1958: The six sign the Treaty of Rome setting up the European Economic Community (EEC, or “Common Market”). Import duties among them are dismantled and their external barriers are unified in stages between the end of 1958 and mid-1968. Trade preferences are given to a host of developing countries, most of them former colonies of EEC members.

1960: The Stockholm Convention creates the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) among seven nations: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Barriers among these nations are removed in stages, 1960–1966.

Finland joins EFTA as an associate member in 1961. Iceland becomes a member in 1970, Finland becomes a full member in 1986, and Lichtenstein becomes a member in 1991.

1967: The European Community (EC) is formed by the merger of the EEC, the European Atomic Energy Commission, and the European Coal and Steel Community.

1972–1973: Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom join the EC, converting the six into nine. Denmark and the United Kingdom leave EFTA. The United Kingdom agrees to abandon many of its Commonwealth trade preferences.

Also, Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is chosen as the EC’s anthem.

1973–1977: Trade barriers are removed in stages, both among the nine EC members and between them and the remaining EFTA nations. Meanwhile, the EC reaches trade preference agreements with most nonmember Mediterranean countries along the lines of earlier agreements with Greece (1961), Turkey

(1964), Spain (1970), and Malta (1970).

1979: European Monetary System begins to operate based on the European Currency Unit. The European Parliament is first elected by direct popular vote.

1981: Greece joins the EC as its 10th member.

1986: The admission of Portugal and Spain brings the number of members in the EC to 12.

1986–1987: Member governments approve and enact the Single European Act, calling for a fully unified market by 1992.

1989–1990: The collapse of the East German government brings a sudden expansion of Germany and therefore of the EC. East Germans are given generous entitlements to the social programs of Germany and the EC.

1991–1995: Ten countries from Central and Eastern Europe establish free-trade agreements with the EC. All become EU members in 2004 and 2007.

End of 1992: The Single European Act takes effect, integrating labor and capital markets throughout the EC.

1993: The Maastricht Treaty is approved, making the EC into the European Union (EU), which calls for unification of foreign policy, for cooperation in fighting crime, and for monetary union.

1994: The European Economic Area is formed, bringing the EFTA countries (except Switzerland) into the EU’s Single European Market.

1995: Following votes with majority approval in each country, Austria, Sweden, and Finland join the EU, bringing the number to 15.

As it had done in 1972, Norway rejects membership in its 1994 vote.

1996: The EU forms a customs union with Turkey.

1999: Eleven EU countries establish the euro as a common currency, initially existing along with each country’s own currency. Greece becomes the 12th member of the euro area in 2001.
2002: The euro replaces the national currencies of the 12 countries.
2004: Ten countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus) join the EU, bringing the total number to 25.
2007: Romania and Bulgaria join the EU, bringing the total number to Slovenia joins the euro area.

2008: Cyprus and Malta join the euro area.

2009: Slovakia joins the euro area.

2011: Estonia joins the euro area.

2013: Croatia joins the EU, bringing the total number to 28.

2014: Latvia joins the euro area, bringing the total number of EU countries using the euro as their currency to 18.

DISCUSSION QUESTION Which country do you think will be the next country to join the EU?