The European Union - 50 years young

In a month's time the European Union (EU) will be celebrating its 50th birthday. On March 25, 1957 France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Treaty of Rome and established the European Economic Community (EEC). Five decades that united the people of Europe have passed since then.

The treaty establishing the EEC affirmed in its preamble that signatory states were "determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe". In this way, the member states specifically affirmed the political objective of a progressive political integration.

The Treaty of Rome signified the triumph of a very realistic and gradualist approach to building the EU. Jean Monnet personified this method. The EEC, from its birth, was based on a series of institutions: the European Commission, the European Assembly, later known as the European Parliament, the Court of Justice and the Economic and Social Committee, whose competences were enlarged and modified in the diverse agreements and treaties that succeeded the Treaty of Rome.

Several changes and developments occurred throughout these 50 years. I will try and give a short overview of the mutual growth of the EU and its 27 member states.

The 1970s - A growing neighbourhood

During this decade not only a higher level of integration was achieved, but also Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined the EU on January 1, 1973, raising the number of member states to nine.

From 1975, the denominated European Council was instituted as a periodical meeting of heads of state or governments. This was to be the institution where major long-term decisions would be agreed.

In 1979, the European Monetary System (EMS) came into force. At the same time, the European Currency Unit (ECU), direct predecessor of the euro, was born. Member countries' currencies were tied in a narrow 2.5 per cent band of fluctuation and national governments committed to coordinate their monetary policies. It was the first significant step toward monetary union.

In the same year, the first elections to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage were held.

The 1980s - Europe's new look

The end of military dictatorships in Greece (1974), Portugal (1974) and Spain (Franco's death in 1975), made the accession of these nations possible. Greece, in 1981, and Spain and Portugal, in 1986, became new members of the EEC. The community was enlarged towards Mediterranean Europe. Spain had managed to accomplish an old aspiration.

The EU regional policy started to transfer huge sums to create jobs and an infrastructure in poorer areas. The European Parliament increased its influence in EU affairs and in 1979 all citizens could, for the first time, elect their members directly.

A major stepping-stone to the unification of Europe came in the 1980s with the fall of the Eastern European Communist regimes and the unification of Germany.

The 1990s - The fall of the borders

With the collapse of Communism across central and eastern Europe, Europeans became closer neighbours. In 1993, the Single Market was completed with the "Four Freedoms" of movement of goods, services, people and money. The 1990s is also the decade of two treaties, the Maastricht Treaty on the EU in 1993 and the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999. People were concerned about how to protect the environment and how Europeans could act together when it came to security and defence matters. In 1995, the EU gained three new members, Austria, Finland and Sweden. A small village in Luxembourg gave its name to the Schengen agreements that gradually allowed people to travel without having their passports checked at borders. Millions of young people studied in other countries with EU support. Communication was made easier as more and more people started using mobile phones and the internet.

Nowadays - New challenges for a new millennium

The euro is the new currency for many Europeans. The political divisions between east and west Europe have finally been declared healed when no fewer than 10 new countries joined the EU in 2004, among them Malta.

Two more countries from Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Romania, joined the EU in the beginning of this year, bringing the number of member states up to 27 countries.

The developments along the years provided economic growth, solidarity and integration of the European people while maintaining national identity. Since joining the EU, on May 1, 2004, the Maltese population has started to reap its benefits.

david.casa@europarl.europa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu