EU member states
The first predecessor of today's EU was founded in 1951. ECSC, EEC and
Euratom, 3 alliances in Europe, which is a strengthening domestic
economy, trade in goods and nuclear industries cared. These three
organizations merged in 1967 to the European Community (EC). Sense of
belonging / founding members were Belgium, Germany (West Germany),
Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
1973 saw the first (north-) enlargement: Denmark, Ireland and the UK
joined the EC. The government of Norway wanted to do this well, but
chose the population in a referendum against a candidate.
1981 followed by Greece, Spain and Portugal joined in 1986. These states
in the south of Europe competed several years in advance for a
membership, in the absence of democratic governments of these
applications were previously rejected.
In 1992 the European Union itself, with the signing of the Maastricht
Treaty. It included the essential features of today's EU: Economic and
Monetary Union, and intensive cooperation in the economic and foreign
policy, and a further merging of the internal market in Europe.
1995 correspondence was the second northern extension instead: Sweden,
Finland and Austria are now also to the European Union. Only the
Norwegians were in another nation against a decision to join the EU
decided.
2004 - the first enlargement. Just ten countries from the East of Europe
joined the EU: Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, and the island nations of Malta and Cyprus.
In 2007 Bulgaria and Romania
