The story of the European Union (EU)Europe on the move

1 July 1968The six remove customs duties on goods importedfrom each other, allowing free cross-border tradefor the first time. They also apply the same dutieson their imports from outside countries. Theworld's biggest trading group is born. Tradeamong the six and between the EU and the restof the world grows rapidly.

1995 2001 20031999 200019981996 1997 2002 2005 2006 20072004

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Published by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Communication, January 2007.NA-76-06-444-EN-C ISBN 92-79-03565-7 © European Communities, 2007 Reproduction is authorised.

A Soviet tankin Prague,1968.

Follow the timeline as it spirals down from top left to bottom right.

Maps: Stefan Chabluk - Drawings: Pamela Hewetson and Nick Hewetson - Photos (from top left to bottom right following the timeline): European Commission, Associated Press, Camera Press London/F. Jacobs, European Commission, Associated Press, Camera Press London/Giancarlo Botti, 1996 Corbis original image courtesy of NASA/CORBIS, Photodisc Inc, European Parliament, Camera Press London/Imapress/Stephane Cardinale, Associated Press/Stringer, Camera Press London/Sepp Spiegl.

Dolly the sheep.

Yellow panels describe EU events.Blue panels describe more general events in Europe.

The Beatles: Ringo Starr ondrums and, from left toright, Paul McCartney,George Harrison and JohnLennon.

The European Parliament in session.

'Beatlemania' sweeps theworld in 1963. The Beatles,the first pop supergroup,attract huge crowds ofteenagers wherever theyappear. They stimulatea cultural revolution,widening the generation gap. The Brandenburg Gate, a symbolic Cold War landmark,

seen from the western side of the Berlin Wall.

In August 1961, thecommunist authorities in EastGermany build a wall acrossBerlin to prevent their citizensfrom escaping to a freer lifein the West. A few peoplestill escape; others are shotby guards in the attempt.

Rioting by students and workers in Francein May 1968 shakes the very foundationsof the State. Milder student protests occurin other EU countries. They reflectfrustration at remote and unresponsivegovernments as well as protests again theVietnam War and the nuclear arms race.

Oil crisis in 1973/1974 – Cars queue for scarce petrol.

25 March 1957Building on the success of the Coal and Steel Treaty, thesix countries expand cooperation to other economicsectors. They sign the Treaty of Rome, creating theEuropean Economic Community (EEC), or 'commonmarket'. The idea is for people, goods and services tomove freely across borders.

30 July 1962The EU starts its 'common agricultural policy' giving thecountries joint control over food production. Farmers arepaid the same price for their produce. The EU growsenough food for its needs and farmers earn well. Theunwanted side-effect is overproduction with mountains ofsurplus produce. Since the 1990s, priorities have been tocut surpluses and raise food quality.

The murder of former Italian PrimeMinister, Aldo Moro, in 1978 is one ofmany acts of terrorism carried out byextremist groups in the 1970s. Amongthe victims are leading lawyers,businessmen and politicians, as well as11 Israeli athletes at the MunichOlympic Games (1972).

In the Balkans, Yugoslavia begins tobreak apart in 1991. Fighting eruptsfirst in Croatia, then in Bosnia andHerzegovina where Serbs, Croats andMuslims fight in a bloody civil war.

7 February 1992The Treaty on European Union is signed in Maastricht.It is a major EU milestone, setting clear rules for thefuture single currency as well as for foreign andsecurity policy and closer cooperation in justice andhome affairs. Under the treaty, the name 'EuropeanUnion' officially replaces 'European Community'.

In 1996, scientists in Scotland succeedin cloning a sheep from a single cell ofa six-year-old ewe, abreakthrough ingeneticengineering. 'Dolly'is an identical copyof her 'parent'.

17 June 1997Signature of the Treaty of Amsterdam.It builds on the achievements ofMaastricht, laying down plans to reformEU institutions, to give Europe astronger voice in the world, and toconcentrate more resources onemployment and the rights of citizens.

13 December 1997EU leaders agree to start the process of membershipnegotiations with 10 countries of central and easternEurope: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.The Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta are alsoincluded. In 2000, Treaty changes agreed in Nice open theway for enlargement by reforming EU voting rules.

The historical roots of the European Union lie in theSecond World War. Europeans are determined toprevent such killing and destruction ever happeningagain. Soon after the war, Europe is split into East andWest as the 40-year-long Cold War begins. WestEuropean nations create the Council of Europe in1949. It is a first step towards cooperation betweenthem, but six countries want to go further.

Clothes and accessories of the 1950s.

In the 1950s, mostchildren have littlepocket money. Theywear the same kind ofclothes as their parents.But their taste in musicchanges with the startof rock and roll.

Later, blue jeans appear,mainly for boys. Girls stillwear full skirts and anklesocks. One of the mostpopular crazes of thedecade is the hula hoop.

Clothes andaccessories of the1960s.Paris demonstrators.

Clothes and accessories of the 1970s.

Rubik creates hisfamous cube.

Officecomputers inthe 1970s.

Passport-free travel across frontiers.

The Americans reasserttheir supremacy in spaceby landing a man on themoon in July 1969.

Following an Arab-Israeli war inOctober 1973, Middle East oil-producing nations impose bigprice increases and restrict salesto certain European countries.This creates economic problemsthroughout the EU.

The fight against pollution intensifiesin the 1970s. The EU adopts laws toprotect the environment, introducingthe notion of ‘the polluter pays’ forthe first time. Pressure groups such asGreenpeace are founded.

Acid rain destroys forests inScandinavia and Germany.

9 May 1950 — French Foreign Minister Robert Schumanpresents a plan for deeper cooperation. Later, every9 May is celebrated as 'Europe Day'.

Robots join car factory productionlines in the 1980s.

28 February 1984Computers and automation are changingthe way we live and work. To stay in theforefront of innovation, the EU adoptsthe 'Esprit' programme in 1984 as thefirst of many research and developmentprogrammes it has since funded.

Young children take up rollerskating. Older brothers andsisters listen to 'personal stereos'(Walkmans) and CDs, watch TV soap operasand enjoy Asian food. Huge parties or'raves' attract teenagers. Skirts are gettinguncommon, and short trousers for small boyshave almost disappeared.

1 January 1995Austria, Finland andSweden join the EU. The15 members now coveralmost the whole ofwestern Europe.

Youth styles get more exotic in the early 1970s. Popstars, whose audiences are getting younger, are a biginfluence. Some young women swap their miniskirtsfor even briefer 'hot pants', but most teenagers weartrousers with wide flares at the bottom. They alsowear thick-soled platform boots. Most extreme arethe punks, with spiky hair, sometimes dyed orange,and a craze for body-piercing.

18 April 1951Based on the Schuman plan, six countries sign a treaty to run their heavy industries – coal andsteel – under a common management. In this way,none can on its own make the weapons of war toturn against the other, as in the past. The six areGermany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgiumand Luxembourg.

The collapse of communism across central and easternEurope, which began in Poland and Hungary, is

symbolised by the fall of the Berlin Wall in1989. Faced by a mass exodus of its citizens tothe West, the East German government throwsopen the gates. Germany is united after morethan 40 years, and its eastern part joins theEU (October 1990).

Clothes and accessories ofthe 1980s.

Fall of Berlin Wall andunification of Germany.

Hungarians pull down a statue of Stalin in their capital,Budapest, during the 1956 protests.

In Hungary, people rise against the Soviet-backed regime in 1956. In November, Soviet tanks appearon the streets of Budapest to putdown the protests.

Sputnik 1 in space. Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

An EU peacekeeping force at work.

10 December 1974To show their solidarity, EU leaders set up the EuropeanRegional Development Fund. Its purpose is to transfermoney from rich to poor regions to improve roads andcommunications, attract investment and create jobs. This type of activity later comes to account for one third ofall EU spending.

17 February 1986Although customs duties disappeared in 1968, trade is notflowing freely across EU borders. The main obstacles aredifferences in national regulations. The Single European Act ofFebruary 1986 launches a vast six-year programmeto sort these out. The Act also gives theEuropean Parliament more say and strengthensEU powers in environmental protection.

24 April 1972The EU's first plan for a single currency dates from 1970.To maintain monetary stability, EU members decide to allowtheir currencies to fluctuate against each other only withinnarrow limits. This exchange rate mechanism (ERM), createdin 1972, is a first step towards the introduction of the euro,30 years later.

1 January 1973The six become nine whenDenmark, Ireland and theUnited Kingdom formallyenter the EU.

1 January 1981Membership of the EU reaches double figureswhen Greece joins. It has been eligible to joinsince its military regime was overthrown anddemocracy restored in 1974.

15 June 1987The EU launches the 'Erasmus'programme to fund universitystudents wishing to study for up toa year in another Europeancountry. More than two millionyoung people have benefited fromthis and similar EU schemes.

1 January 1986Spain and Portugal enter theEU, bringing membership to 12.

Nearly everyone wears trainers. Jeans and T-shirts are still popular.Teenage girls show a little midriff, and black is popular for a time.In the later 1990s, mobile phones and the internet change theway we communicate. The technology behind both is European.Young people travel more, and students often take a 'gap' year tosee the world, using e-mail to keep in touch.

1 January 1999 The euro is introduced in 11 countries (joined by Greece in2001) for commercial and financial transactions only. Notesand coins will come later. The euro countries are Austria,Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. Denmark,Sweden and the United Kingdom decide to stay out for thetime being.

Government leaders of the six signthe Treaty of Rome.

In the 1960s, farming in Europebecomes more mechanised.

In summer 1980, shipyard workers in the Polish city ofGdansk, led by Lech Walesa, strike for more rights. Otherstrikes follow across the country. In August, the governmentcapitulates and Solidarność is created as an independenttrade union. The government gradually reasserts its powerand imposes martial law in December 1981, endingPoland's brief encounter with people power. But the seedshave been sown for later.

Civil unrest begins in former Yugoslavia.

26 March 1995The Schengen Agreement takes effect in sevencountries – Belgium, France, Germany,Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal andSpain. Travellers of any nationality can travelbetween all these countries without any passportcontrol at the frontiers. Other member states havesince joined the passport-free Schengen area.

1 January 2002Euro notes and coins arrive. Printing, minting anddistributing them in 12 countries is a major logisticaloperation. More than 80 billion coins are involved.

Notes are the same for all countries. Coins have onecommon face, giving the value, while the other carries a

national emblem. All circulate freely. Using Finnish (or anyother) euro coin to buy a Madrid metro ticket is something wetake for granted.

On 11 September 2001, hijackedairliners are flown into the twintowers of the World Trade Center inNew York and the Pentagon buildingin Washington. Nearly 3 000 peopledie. The EU countries stand firmlyalongside the United States in thefight against international terror.

The communications revolutioncontinues. Many schools and homes nowhave high-speed access to the internet.Text messages and SMS are the favouriteway for young people to stay in constantcontact with each other. Wide-screenand flat-screen TV sets and DVDs set thepace for home entertainment.

31 March 2003As part of its foreign and security policy, the EU takeson peace-keeping operations in the Balkans, firstly inthe Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, andthen in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In both cases, EU-led forces replace NATO units. Internally, the EUagrees to create an area of freedom, security andjustice for all citizens by 2010.

20 July 1963The EU signs its first big international agreement – a deal to help 18 former colonies in Africa. By 2007, ithas a special partnership with 78 countries in Africa,the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions. The EU is theworld's biggest provider of development assistance topoorer countries. Its aid is linked to respect for humanrights by recipients.

The overthrow of the Salazar regime inPortugal in 1974 and the death of GeneralFranco of Spain in 1975 end the last right-wing dictatorships in Europe. Bothcountries commit themselves to democraticgovernment – an important step towardsqualifying for future membership of the EU.

The EU helps bring jobs to poorregions.

A new thrill is bungee jumping. Parents gasp, butyoungsters enjoy the sensation of jumping from ahigh place attached to an elastic rope, whichbreaks their fall and pulls them back before theyhit the ground.

1 January 1993 The single market and its four freedoms are established: the free movement ofgoods, services, people and money is now reality. More than 200 laws havebeen agreed since 1986 covering tax policy, business regulations, professionalqualifications and other barriers to open frontiers. The free movement of someservices is delayed.

1 May 2004Eight countries of central and eastern Europe – the CzechRepublic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Sloveniaand Slovakia – join the EU, finally ending the division of Europedecided by the Great Powers 60 years earlier at Yalta. Cyprusand Malta also become members. Bulgaria and Romania followon 1 January 2007. Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia and Turkey are also candidates for membership.

The Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to limitglobal warming and cut emissions of greenhousegases, comes into force in February 2005. The EUhas consistently taken the lead in efforts to reducethe impact of climate change. The United States isnot a party to theprotocol.

7–10 June 1979EU citizens directly elect the members of the EuropeanParliament for the first time. Previously they were delegatedby national parliaments. Members sit in pan-Europeanpolitical groups (Socialist, Conservative, Liberal, Greens, etc.)and not in national delegations. The influence of the

Parliament is constantly increasing.

29 October 2004The 25 EU countries sign a Treaty establishing aEuropean Constitution. It is designed to streamlinedemocratic decision-making and management in an EUof 25 and more countries. When voters in France andthe Netherlands reject the constitution in June 2005,EU leaders declare a 'period of reflection'.

Coal and steel industriesstart to work togetheracross borders.

The name of the Polish trade unionbecomes known everywhere.

A bombed European city – legacy of the Second World War.

Le Corbusier in front of a Unite d'habitation.

Swiss architect Le Corbusier marks a newtrend with the opening (1952) of his self-contained 'vertical city' (Unite d'habitation)in Marseilles, France. The stark appearanceof this concrete complex provokes thenickname 'The new brutalism'.

In the 1960s young people affirm their identity. Their ideas often differ fromthose of adults and a true youth culture emerges. The pop industry booms,helped by television, transistor radios and LPs (long-playing records). Teenagersmake fashion statements: miniskirts and high boots for girls, and long hair andpointed shoes for boys. This is a time when EU countries experiencegrowth and rising prosperity – the golden sixties.

Bungee jumping, late 1980s.

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Clothes and accessories of the 1990s.

Soviet tanks thunder into Prague in August 1968to crush the short-lived Prague spring of fledglingdemocracy in Czechoslovakia. With over 600 000troops occupying the country, the Czechs andSlovaks are powerless. One student, Jan Palach,burns himself to death in protest.

The Soviet Union beats the United States inthe space race by launching the first man-made space satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957.Sputnik 1 orbits the earth at a height of800 km. In 1961, the Soviet Union winsagain with the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin,whose spacecraft is just 2.6m in diameter.

You can learn more about the EU at the 'Europa'website: europa.eu

'EUROPE DIRECT ' answers your questions about theEU: call 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or e-mail via

europedirect.europa.eu

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