European Union/Timelines

1949-1959
1949 The Council of Europe is founded. 1951 The Treaty of Paris establishes the European Coal and Steel Community. 1954 The European Court of Justice makes its first ruling. 1957 The Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community (membership (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). 1958  The first meeting of the European Parliamentary Assembly. 1959  The European Free Trade  Association is established (membership  Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).

1960-1969
1962 The European Commission
 * The Common Agricultural Policy.

1963 The UK's application to join the EEC is vetoed by France

1970-1979
1973 Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the Union

1879 The first direct elections to the European Parliament

1980-1989
1986 Spain and Portugal join the Union
 * The Single European Act.

1990-1999
1992 The Maastricht Treaty

1993 Copenhagen European Council - criteria for membership

1997 The Treaty of Amsterdam

1999 The Eurozone (founder members: Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland.)

2000-2010
2001 Greece joins the eurozone 2004 Eight countries of central and eastern Europe join the EU (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia).
 * The 25 EU countries sign a Treaty establishing a European Constitution.

2007 Bulgaria and Romania, now join the EU. (Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey are candidates for membership).
 * The 27 EU countries sign the Treaty of Lisbon.
 * Slovenia joins the eurozone

2008 Cyprus and Malta join the eurozone 2009 Slovakia joins the eurozone

2010 The eurozone crisis - see the  eurozone crisis timeline.