The essentials
After the Second World War, European states wanted to rebuild their economies and avoid another war. The United States helped through the Marshall Plan (1947), and the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was set up in 1948 to distribute aid. The Council of Europe was formed in 1949.
The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was created in 1951 by six states: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The Treaty of Rome (1957) set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community. The Maastricht Treaty, signed in 1992, established the European Union (EU), with a common foreign and security policy, cooperation in justice and home affairs, and a single currency.
Key points
- The common currency, the euro, was introduced in 1999 and its notes and coins came into use in 2002; not every member adopted it.
- The EU has its own flag (a circle of twelve gold stars on a blue background), anthem and founding date.
- It has institutions such as the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice.
- It is a large economy and an important trading bloc; one of its members, France, is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
- Its influence is mainly economic and diplomatic, though some members also have strong armed forces.
- Its membership expanded to include many states of Central and Eastern Europe after the Cold War.
- Some member states have kept opt-outs from parts of the union, such as the euro.
Exam tips
Learn the sequence ECSC → EEC → EU and the year of each treaty. Know the twelve stars symbol and the reasons the EU is seen as a centre of power: economic size, currency, diplomacy and military capacity.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the Treaty of Rome created the EU. It created the EEC; the EU came from the Maastricht Treaty.
- Assuming all EU members use the euro.