Timeline: Formation of the EU

1945

End of World Word 2

1947

Cold war

Political tensions between eastern and western Europe over ideology, economics and government lead to a ‘Cold War’- fought with proxy wars rather than direct military conflict - that lasts for more than 40 years.
(Europe.eu)

1948

Congress of Europe

Around 800 representatives from European countries meet at the Congress of Europe in the Dutch city of The Hague to discuss new forms of cooperation.
(Europe.eu)

1949

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an alliance between the United States, Canada and 10 western European countries.
(Europe.eu)

1951

European coal and steal community

Schuman’s vision starts to take shape when six countries — Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — sign a treaty to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. With these countries deciding together what to do with Europe’s coal and steel, no single nation can build weapons without the other nations knowing about it.
(Europe.eu)

1957

Teatries of Rome

Building on the success of the coal and steel treaty, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands expand cooperation to other economic sectors. They sign the Treaties of Rome, creating the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community or ‘common market’, allowing people, goods and services to move freely across borders. (Europe.eu)

1958

European pailiament

After the creation of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, it expands to cover all three communities. The new European Parliamentary Assembly, made up of 142 members, meets for the first time in Strasbourg in 1958. It changes its name to the European Parliament on 30 March 1962. (Europe.eu)