It was most appropriate that on May 9, 1950, on the morrow of the fifth anniversary of VE Day, France's Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, should issue a declaration calling on European governments to integrate their coal and steel industry under a single authority.

This would "make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible and create a de facto solidarity". The declaration, which was inspired by Jean Monnet, stated: "The pooling of coal and steel production should immediately provide for the setting up of common foundations for economic development as a first step in the federation of Europe, and will change the destinies of those regions which have long been devoted to the manufacture of the munitions of war, of which they have been the most constant victims."

In 1952 the European Coal and Steel Community was thus set up. It was made up of France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. That year the Six signed the European Defence Community which was rejected by the French Parliament in 1954. In 1957, they bounced back to establish the European Economic Community.

The Rome Treaty, by which the EEC was established, called for the establishment "of an ever closer union among European Peoples" in order "to strengthen the cause of peace and liberty... by pooling their resources."

In 1973, the EEC grew from six to nine when the UK, Denmark and Ireland joined. In 1981 it was the turn of Greece. Spain and Portugal formally joined in 1986. In 1990 East Germany was added as a result of German reunification. The former EFTA countries, Austria, Finland and Sweden, joined in 1995. Then in 2004, the EU welcomed 10 new member states - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Two more countries are due to join in 2007, namely Bulgaria and Romania.

The EU is based on a number of treaties concluded between the member states. These include the Paris Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community and the Rome Treaties establishing the European Economic Community and Euroatom. The first substantive amendment of the treaties was carried out by the 1987 Single European Act (SEA). Subsequently the Treaties were changed by the Treaty on European Union signed in Maastricht (Maastricht Treaty) and which came into effect in 1993.

This was followed by the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) and the Treaty of Nice (2002). The treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe which will take the place of all the treaties mentioned here is currently being ratified.

On January 1, 2002, 12 of the then 15 nations replaced their currency by the single European currency, the euro, managed by the European Central Bank based in Frankfurt.

The success of the EU can be measured by the fact that it grew from six to 25 member states and is still growing but above all because it has contributed towards the maintenance of peace in Europe for more than 60 years. The EU is a successful model for the re-organisation of international relations on the basis of the peaceful co-existence of states.