The Common Market
map from Time, 7/7/59

1946 - Winston Churchill speech Sept. 19 proposed a "kind of United States of Europe" that led the next year to the United Europe Movement.

1947 - Marshall Plan June 5 stimulated the economic revival of Europe, led by the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation.

1948 - The Brussels Treaty March 17 created a Western Union of Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. On May 7, Winston Churchill led 800 delegates of the Europe Congress at The Hague in the Netherlands that proposed the economic and political integration of Europe with a Human Rights Charter and a Court of Justice.

1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created April 4. The Council of Europe was created May 5 and met in Strasbourg, France, on August 10.

1950 - French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet proposed an integrated the European Coal and Steel Community.

1951 - Six nations signed the Treaty of Paris April 18 to create the European Coal and Steel Community, with Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands. The next year, the ECSC created a European Common Assembly with Jean Monnet as its first president.

1952 - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands signed the European Defence Community Treaty May 27, but two years later the French National Assembley rejected membership and the EDC failed.

1954 - The Western European Union was created in London Oct. 23.

1955 - The Council of Europe adopted Dec. 8 a blue flag with a circle of 12 gold stars.

1957 - The Treaties of Rome of March 25 created the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community, or "common market." The "inner six" nations of the Common Market were Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands. The "outer seven" nations of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation that did not join the Common Market were the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal. Britain's Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin said that "if you open that Pandora's box, you never know what Trojan horses will jump out."

1958 - The European Court of Justice began Oct. 7 in Luxembourg.

1960 - The Outer Seven created the European Free Trade Association Jan. 4 in Stockholm.

1963 - General de Gaulle Jan. 14 said "non" to Britain joining the Common Market.

1973 - Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the EEC.

1981 - Greece joined the EEC.

1986 - Spain and Portugal joined the EEC.

1992 - The Treaty on the European Union was signed Feb. 7 at Maastricht in the Netherlands.

1995 - Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union.

2002 - Twelve of the fifteen members of the European Union adopted a single currency, the euro: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland.

2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the European Union.

Links:

Sources:

revised 4/20/06 by Schoenherr | Cold War Policies | Maps