European Union
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the European Union
Treaties
Rome · Maastricht (Pillars) Amsterdam · Nice · Lisbon
Institutions
Commission President José Manuel Barroso Barroso Commission
Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering MEPs (2004-09 term)
Council Presidency: Slovenia (Janez Janša) High Representative · Voting
Other & Future Institutions Court of Justice · Court of Auditors Central Bank · European Council
Elections
Last election (2004) · 2007 by-election Next election (2009) · Constituencies Parties · Parliamentary groups
Related topics
States · Enlargement · Foreign relations Law · EMU · Other bodies · Agencies
Other countries · Atlas  Politics Portal view • talk • edit

The European Community (EC) is one of the three pillars of the European Union (EU) created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992). The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy The Treaties of the European Union are a set of international treaties between the Union's member states which sets out the counstitutional basis of the The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. José Manuel Durão Barroso (ʒuˈzɛ mɐnuˈɛɫ duˈɾɐ̃ũ bɐˈʁozu born 23 March 1956 is the 12th President of the European Commission. The Barroso Commission is the European Commission that has been in office since 22 November 2004 and is due to serve until 31 October 2009 The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. Hans-Gert Pöttering (often written as Poettering; born September 15, 1945 in Bersenbrück, Lower Saxony) is a German A Member of the European Parliament ( English abbreviation MEP) is a member of the European Union 's legislative body the European Parliament. The Council of the European Union is the principal decision making institution in the European Union (EU Presidency of the Council of the European Union is the responsibility for the functioning of the Council of the European Union which is rotated between European Union Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Janez Janša (born 17 September 1958 as Ivan Janša in Ljubljana) is a Slovenian politician and president of the Slovenian Democratic Party since The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (HR is the main co-ordinator of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union Voting procedures for decisions not requiring unanimity Here is an overview of the formerly used currently used and proposed voting systems employed in the Council of the European There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union This article refers to the European Union court not the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe The Court of Justice The European Court of Auditors is the fifth institution of the European Union (EU The European Central Bank (ECB is one of the world's most important Central banks responsible for Monetary policy covering the 15 member countries of the The European Council (referred to as a European Summit) is the highest political body of the European Union. Elections in the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according Two member states of the European Union held elections to the European Parliament in 2007. Elections to the European Parliament will be held from 4 June to 7 June 2009 in the 27 member states of the European Union, using varying election In six European Union Member States ( Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom) the national A European political party, formally a political party at European level, informally (especially in academic circles a Europarty, is a type of Political party The European Parliament is unique among supranational assemblies because it organizes itself around ideological rather than national groups Origins of the EU History of the European Union European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC Euratom A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. This article deals with relations between the European Union and third countries The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union (EU In economics a Monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency amongst themselves There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union The agencies of the European Union (or decentralised bodies of the European Union) are bodies which are distinct from the European Union's institutions, Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final It is an independent supranational economic organisation founded in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome that was known as the European Economic Community (EEC) prior to 1992. Supranationalism is a method of decision-making in political communities wherein power is democratically entrusted to independent experienced appointed personalities or to representatives It is due to be completely absorbed by the European Union in 2009 if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into force. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the

History

Further information: History of the European Union

Background

In 1951, the Treaty of Paris was signed, creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). This article refers to the development of what is now the European Union, and to developments within those countrieswhich constitute it at the time of or near to The Treaty of Paris, signed on 18 April, 1951 between France, West Germany, Italy and the three BeNeLux countries The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC) was a six-nation International organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and creating This was an international community based on supranationalism and international law, designed to help the economy of Europe and prevent future war by integrating its members together. Supranationalism is a method of decision-making in political communities wherein power is democratically entrusted to independent experienced appointed personalities or to representatives The economy of the European Union combines the economies of 27 member states and is generating an estimated nominal GDP of € 12581 billion ( $ European integration is the process of political legal economic (and in some cases social and cultural integration of European states including some states that are partly in Europe A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto

In the aim of creating a federal Europe two further communities were proposed. A federal Europe is a proposal that much of Europe be unified in the manner of a Federation. A European Defence Community (EDC) and a European Political Community (EPC). The European Defense Community ( EDC) was a plan proposed in 1950 by René Pleven, the French President of the Council (name of Prime Ministers till 1958 in response The European Political Community (EPC was proposed in 1952 as a combination of the existing European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC and the proposed European While the treaty for the latter was being drawn up by the Common Assembly, the ECSC parliamentary chamber, the EDC was rejected by the French Parliament. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU This article is for the post-Revolutionary and present-day institution President Jean Monnet, a leading figure behind the communities, resigned from the High Authority in protest and began work on alternative communities, based on economic integration rather than political integration^[1]. The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet ( November 9, 1888 &ndash March 16, 1979) is regarded by many as a chief architect of European Unity After the Messina Conference in 1955, Paul Henri Spaak was given the task to prepare a report on the idea of a customs union. The Messina Conference was held from 1 to 3 June 1955 at the Italian city of Messina on the island of Sicily. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Paul Henri Charles Spaak (25 January 1899 - 31 July 1972 was a Belgian Socialist Politician and Statesman. A customs union is a Free trade area with a Common external tariff. The so-called Spaak Report^[2] of the Spaak Committee formed the cornerstone of the intergovernmental negotiations at Val Duchesse castle in 1956. The Spaak report or Brussels Report on the General Common Market, was the report drafted by the Spaak Committee in 1956. The Spaak Committee was an Intergovernmental Committee set up by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC as Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Together with the Ohlin Report the Spaak Report would provide the basis for the Treaty of Rome. The Ohlin Report was a report drafted by a group of experts of the International Labour Organization lead by Bertil Ohlin in 1956.

In 1956, Paul Henri Spaak lead the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the Val Duchesse castle, which prepared for the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paul Henri Charles Spaak (25 January 1899 - 31 July 1972 was a Belgian Socialist Politician and Statesman. The Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom was held in Brussels, it started on 26 June 1956 with a session in the Grand Salon of The Castle of the Valley of the Duchess ( Dutch: Kasteel van Hertoginnedal; French: Château de Val-Duchesse) is a former Priory situated Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The conference led to the signature, on March 25, 1957, of the Treaty of Rome establishing a European Economic Community. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992

Treaty of Rome (1957)

The resulting communities were the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom is an international organisation which is semi-independent of but completely controlled by the European Community These were markedly less supranational than the previous communities, due to protests from some countries that their sovereignty was being infringed (however there would still be concerns with the behaviour of the Hallstein Commission). Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself The Hallstein Commission is the European Commission that held office from January 7 1958 to 20 June 1967. The first formal meeting of the Hallstein Commission, was held on 16 January 1958 at the Castle of the Valley of the Duchess. The Hallstein Commission is the European Commission that held office from January 7 1958 to 20 June 1967. Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Castle of the Valley of the Duchess ( Dutch: Kasteel van Hertoginnedal; French: Château de Val-Duchesse) is a former Priory situated The EEC (direct ancestor of the modern Community) was to create a customs union while Euratom would promote co-operation in the atomic energy sphere. A customs union is a Free trade area with a Common external tariff. The EEC rapidly became the most important of these and expanded its activities. One of the first important accomplishments of the EEC was the establishment (1962) of common price levels for agricultural products. In 1968, internal tariffs (tariffs on trade between member nations) were removed on certain products.

In 1967 the Merger Treaty was signed, which combined the institutions of the ECSC and Euratom into that of the EEC, they already shared a Parliamentary Assembly and Courts. The Merger Treaty (or Brussels Treaty) was an European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU This article refers to the European Union court not the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe The Court of Justice Collectively they were known as the European Communities. The Communities still had independent personalities although were increasingly integrated.

Future treaties granted the community new powers beyond simple economic matters which had achieved a high level of integration. As it got closer to the goal of political integration and a peaceful and united Europe, what Mikhail Gorbachev described as a Common European Home. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev ( Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov;; born 2 March 1931 in Privolnoye Stavropol Krai) is a Russian politician The " Common European Home " was a concept created and espoused by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Pillar

The three pillars constituting the European Union (clickable)

Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force in 1993, established the three pillars of the European Union. The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. While this expanded co-operation between members into foreign policy and Justice and Home Affairs, the institutions of the EEC, now just known as the European Community (EC) due to its expanded role, had little power over these areas which operated on a more intergovernmental basis. This article deals with the workings of European Union foreign policy Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJC formally Justice and Home Affairs (JHA is the third of the three pillars of the European Union For example, while voting within the EC is conducted by Qualified Majority Voting (QMV), in the other pillars individual members could often veto proposals. Voting procedures for decisions not requiring unanimity Here is an overview of the formerly used currently used and proposed voting systems employed in the Council of the European

With subsequent treaties some powers were transferred from Home Affairs to the Community, and the role of Community institutions have increase, such as granting more oversight powers to the Parliament.

The ECSC element of the Community ceased to exist when its treaty expired, having a 50 year limit, in 2002. It was seen as redundant so no effort was made to replace it, all its assets and activities were handed over to the core of the EC. In 2006 the first new community was created, the European Energy Community. The Treaty establishing the Energy Community (also known as Energy Community South East Europe Treaty or ECSEE) was signed in Athens, Greece Although this is not strictly comparable to the original Communities as the Energy Community does not set up institutions but rather is an agreement for neighbouring states to adopt EU standards and open up each others markets. It also does not form part of the EU, rather the EU is a member of it.

Timeline of treaties

Aims and achievements

The main aim of the EEC, as stated in its preamble, was to "preserve peace and liberty and to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe". This article is on the 1948 treaty which served as a basis for the Western Union The Treaty of Paris, signed on 18 April, 1951 between France, West Germany, Italy and the three BeNeLux countries The Merger Treaty (or Brussels Treaty) was an European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC The Single European Act (SEA was the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome that formally established the single European market and the European Political Cooperation The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty The Nice Treaty was signed by European leaders on 26 February, 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom is an international organisation which is semi-independent of but completely controlled by the European Community The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC) was a six-nation International organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and creating The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. The Merger Treaty (or Brussels Treaty) was an European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJC formally Justice and Home Affairs (JHA is the third of the three pillars of the European Union Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (PJC formally Justice and Home Affairs (JHA is the third of the three pillars of the European Union The European Political Cooperation (EPC was introduced in 1970 and was the synonym for European Union foreign policy coordination until it was superseded by the Common This article deals with the workings of European Union foreign policy The Western European Union ( WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 Calling for balanced economic growth, this was to be accomplished through 1) the establishment of a customs union with a common external tariff 2) common policies for agriculture, transport and trade 3) enlargement of the EEC to the rest of Europe. A customs union is a Free trade area with a Common external tariff. The Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP) is a system of European Union Agricultural subsidies and programmes Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. ^[3] For the customs union, the treaty provided for a 10 % reduction in custom duties and up to 20 % of global import quotas. Progress on the customs union proceeded much faster than the twelve years planned, however France faced some setbacks due to their war with Algeria. The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from ^[4]

Members

Further information: European Union member state and Enlargement of the European Union

Enlargement, 1957 to 2007
     Communities     EU Pillar

Since 1992 the members of the EC are the same of those as the EU, a state cannot be part of one and not the other. A Member State of the European Union is any one of the twenty-seven sovereign Nation states that have acceded the European Union (EU since its De facto Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. There were six states which founded the original EEC: France, West Germany, Italy and the three Benelux countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. West Germany ( Inf German: Westdeutschland or West-Deutschland) was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany ( Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe that includes three neighboring monarchies, '''Be'''lgium, the '''Ne'''therlands, and The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The first enlargement was in 1973, with the accession of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Greece, Spain and Portugal joined throughout in the 1980s. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Following the creation of the EU in 1993, it has enlarged to include a further fifteen countries by 2007.

Member states are represented in some form in each institution. The Council is also composed of one national minister who represents their national government. The Council of the European Union is the principal decision making institution in the European Union (EU For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Each state also has a right to one European Commissioner each, although in the European Commission they are not supposed to represent their national interest but that of the Community. A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. Prior to 2004, the larger members (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) have had two Commissioners. In the European Parliament, members are allocated a set number seats related to their population, however these (since 1979) have been directly elected and they sit according to political allegiance, not national origin. The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU Apportionment in the European Parliament relates to the distribution of Legislative seats in the European Parliament among the states of the European The 1979 European elections were parliamentary Elections held across all then-9 European Community member states. Most other institutions, including the European Court of Justice, have some form of national division of its members. This article refers to the European Union court not the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe The Court of Justice

Institutions

Further information: Institutions of the European Union

President Jacques Delors is seen as the most successful President

The EEC inherited some of the Institutions of the ECSC in that the Common Assembly and Court of Justice of the ECSC had their authority extended to the EEC and Euratom in the same role. There are currently five institutions of the European Union which govern the Union The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union. Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born July 20 1925 in Paris) is a French Economist and politician the only person to have served two terms The European Coal and Steel Community ( ECSC) was a six-nation International organisation serving to unify Western Europe during the Cold War and creating The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU This article refers to the European Union court not the European Court of Human Rights of the Council of Europe The Court of Justice However the EEC, and Euratom, had different executive bodies to the ECSC. In place of the ECSC's Council of Ministers was the Council of the European Economic Community, and in place of the High Authority was the Commission of the European Communities. The Council of the European Union is the principal decision making institution in the European Union (EU The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. There was greater difference between these than name: the French government of the day had grown suspicious of the supranational power of the High Authority and sought to curb its powers in favour of the intergovernmental style Council. Hence the Council had a greater executive role in the running of the Community than was the situation in the EEC. By virtue of the Merger Treaty in 1967, the executives of the ECSC and Euratom were merged with that of the EEC, creating a single institutional structure governing the three separate Communities. The Merger Treaty (or Brussels Treaty) was an European treaty which combined the executive bodies of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC From here on, the term European Communities were used for the institutions (for example, the Commission of the European Communities. ^[5][6][7]

As the Communities gained more competencies, the institutional framework developed. For example, in 1970 and 1975 two budgetary treaties gave the Assembly (now the European Parliament) equal say with the Council over the Community budget and in 1979 the parliament was elected for the first time. The Treaties of the European Union are a set of international treaties between the Union's member states which sets out the counstitutional basis of the The European Union (EU is an association of 27 independent member states The 1979 European elections were parliamentary Elections held across all then-9 European Community member states. These developments led to the Parliament being treated more as a serious partner to the Council. However in 1992, the Maastricht treaty which created the European Union cut out most Community institutions from the two new areas of co-operation under the pillar structure. The Treaty of Maastricht, which established the European Union, divided EU policies into three main areas called pillars. Beyond the new Community pillar the Council dominated, however within the Community (especially following subsequent treaties) the power of the supranational institutions increased, especially the Parliament which became a co-legislator to the Council via the codecision procedure and gained more influence of the European Commission. The codecision procedure is the main legislative procedure by which law can be adopted in the European Community, the first of the Three pillars of the European The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. It remains today that within the Community the Commission has sole right of initiative to draft EU law. In Political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a Petition signed by a certain The Law of the European Union is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union (EU

Future

Under the Treaty of Lisbon the pillar structure would be abolished, merging the Community pillar with the others into a single European Union, over which Community institutions would have greater powers. The Treaty of Lisbon (also known as the Reform Treaty) is a Treaty designed to streamline the workings of the European Union (EU with amendments to the This would include the legal personality of the Community which would hence be transferred to the Union. Note This Wikipedia entry deals with the legal concept legal person. This was previously proposed under the European Constitution but that treaty failed ratification in 2005. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended The Treaty of Lisbon is planned to come into force in 2009, if fully ratified.

The Euratom treaty, unlike that of the ECSC, did not expire and despite proposals to merge that fully into the Union, it will continue to exist as a sole independent entity within the Union. The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom is an international organisation which is semi-independent of but completely controlled by the European Community

References

Further reading

External links

• European Union website
• Treaty establishing the European Economic Community European NAvigator
• History of the Rome Treaties European NAvigator