THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union

In 1952, the founding fathers of the European Union, including the Italian Alcide de Gaspari, the French Jean Monnet and Robert Shuman and the Belgian Jean-Paul Spaak signed a treaty for a common market in six countries of coal and steel marketing, by abolishing customs barriers and restrictions of free competition.


But it was only with the Treaty of Rome, in 1957 when the Economic  European Community (EEC) was formed.  This led to the termination of customs duties and the establishment of an external customs' tariff, the introduction of common policies in the agriculture and transport sector, the establishing of a European Social Fund and the founding of a European  Bank.   Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Greenland were subsequently added, but Norway, after a referendum, decided not to join.  Later, in 1981, Greece became a member of the EU, and later, in 1986, Spain and Portugal followed.


Meantime in 1979, the first direct democratic election of the European Parliament, by universal suffrage, was announced.


Historic was the Schengen agreement, in 1985, with the consignment granted to remove borders.  This was followed by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which caused feelings of great optimism for the future.


In 1992, there was another historic moment for the Union: the Schengen Agreement with the subsequent removal of borders.  The Treaty of Maastricht, which set economic and social specifications which were necessary for the accession for the states of the Union.  In 1995, Austria and Sweden joined the EU.


In 2002, the euro was introduced and was initially adopted by 12 states.  Since then,  the eurozone has increased to include 7 more countries, that is a total of 19 states.  Consequently, the euro has become the second largest reserve currency in the world.  In the same year, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia and Hungary joined the Union.


In 2007, the European Union was officially born with the Lisbon Treaty, established in 2009.  Also in 2007 Romania and Bulgaria became part of the EU, while in 2013, Croatia entered.


In 2012 the European Union received the Nobel prize for contributing for over 50 years to peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe!


In 2016, during a referendum, Britons voted to exit from the European Union,  Unfortunately BREXIT was a sad fact.


The European Union is a historically unique phenomenon with an administrative system in constant progress since its foundation.

Poppies in a Vase by Vincent van Goch

 Dedicated to all Europeans