The European Union as we now know it today came about through a number of treaties or agreements between European countries. After the horror of World War II people wanted to find ways to ensure future peace and cooperation between the different countries in Europe. So in the late 1940s the idea of a European community was discussed. Europe can only be united by the heartfelt wish and vehement expression of the great majority. Then, in 1951, the first union was formed between six countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, France and West Germany.
They agreed to work together on production of coal and steel. materials that were essential for rebuilding military forces. They felt that by working together, it would help avoid any more wars between the countries. By 1957, these countries felt the Union was going so well, they decided to take things further.
They set up the European Economic Community, or EEC. This aimed to make it easier to buy and sell a wide range of goods, not just coal and steel, throughout the six countries that were members. It also tried to make it easier for people to travel, live and work within these countries.
Soon other countries wanted to join the EEC and the membership started to grow. Some people in Europe were against their countries joining and protested to keep their independence. Then, as now, any country that wanted to join had to apply, and the existing members decided whether to let them join or not.
The UK applied, and, after being turned down twice, finally joined in 1973. It is a step towards the participation of the peoples of our countries. As the EEC grew in size, they worked on ways to make it better. In 1986, our Prime Minister at that time, Margaret Thatcher, signed the Single European Act, which further reduced barriers to trade between the different countries. However, not everyone was in agreement with the UK's close relationship with the European community.
For example, this headline appeared in the Sun newspaper in 1990. They chose to run this headline because some people in the UK felt that Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission, was meddling too much in UK affairs. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty officially renamed the EUC as the European Union. and introduce more cooperation between governments in areas like defense and justice.
They also set out plans to bring the economies of the member countries closer together. In 2002, the euro was born. Currencies like French francs, Dutch guilders and Italian lira all became history, and the euro became the currency of 12 EU countries, with only the UK... Denmark and Sweden choosing to keep to their own currency. Countries continue to join the European Union and in 2004 we saw the biggest ever single enlargement of the EU when 10 countries joined.
While membership continues to grow there is still debate in many countries about the advantages and disadvantages of working together in this way. With nearly 30 countries now members and more wanting to join. The challenge of the future will be to make sure that as the European Union gets bigger, it still works for the good of the people who live and work in it.