Origins and Development of the European Union 

In the wake of the devastation of the Second World War, there was a strong desire to prevent future wars between the nations of Europe. Economic cooperation between nation states was seen as a means to prevent political conflict.

In 1952 the European Coal and Steel Community was founded. This was the beginning of a project of economic cooperation which further developed in 1958 with the conclusion of the Treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community (EEC). The aim of the EEC was the promotion of free trade, that is, the free movement of goods, services and labour, among the countries of Europe, to increase economic growth and improve the welfare of the people of Europe.

Dublin Constituency MEP's
Office	Name	Party
MEP	Proinsias De Rossa		Labour Party
MEP	Joe Higgins		Socialist Party
MEP	Gay Mitchell		Fine Gael

In 1986, the Single European Act, moved to implement a single market, with the free movement of goods, services, labour and capital to its full extent. At the same time, European foreign policy co-operation was formalised and strengthened.
The Treaty on European Union, (TEU) which entered into force in 1993, expanded and strengthened EU cooperation. It agreed to establish an Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) between the Member States by 1999 at the latest. In addition, the TEU introduced new internal policies and provided for the establishment of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for the EU. The list of areas of cooperation was extended to include police cooperation and internal security.

In 1999, eleven Member States joined the Monetary Union and, in 2002, notes and coins of the new single currency, the Euro, were introduced in twelve of the Member States of the EU.

An expanding European Union

Since 1958, the original six Member States, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, have been joined by other countries of Europe. In 1973, the first expansion took place when Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom joined. They were followed by Greece in 1981, Spain and Portugal in 1986 and Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995. 1 May 2004 saw the largest expansion yet of the European Union when ten countries in eastern and southern Europe: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are also candidate countries to join the EU.

With the membership of the EU having increased to 25, the Treaty of Nice, which came into force on 1 February 2003, sets down new rules governing the operation of the EU institutions. These new rules are designed to ensure that the increase in membership does not lead to less efficient operation of the institutions.

Major dates in the history of the EU

• 1952: The Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community enters into force.
• 1958: The Treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and EURATOM enter into force.
  
• 1973: Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the EC.
  
• 1981: Greece joins the EC.
• 1986: Portugal and Spain join to the EC.
  
• 1986: The European Single Act signed in Luxembourg and at the Hague.
• 1993: The Treaty on European Union enters into force on 1 November.
  
• 1995: Finland, Sweden and Austria join the EU.
• 1999: The revised Treaty on European Union (the Amsterdam Treaty) enters into force.
  
• 2000: The meeting of the European Council in Nice leads to the adoption of a revised Treaty on European Union (the Nice Treaty) which entered into force on 1 February 2003.
  
• 2003: The InterGovernmental Conference (IGC) to draw up a constitution for Europe is launched in Rome in October.
  
• 2004: The EU enlarges to 25 Member States with the accession of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia on 1 May 2004. 
  

The European Parliament
The European Parliament has 626 members known as Members of the European Parliament (MEP's). These MEP's are elected every 5 years. Ireland has 15 MEP's. The President is elected by his or her fellow MEPs for a term of two-and-a-half years. The current President is Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles MEP. The next President of the European Parliament will be elected in January 2007.

Links & Resources

• European Union
  EUROPA is the portal site of the European Union providing up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs and essential information on European integration. more »