Handout 1
1/28/03
Government 431
Important Milestones in the Development of the European Union
There are five major treaties you should familiarize yourself with. The full text of these
treaties is available through the European Union website, and direct links can be found on
the course website.
I.
THE TREATY OF PARIS
Signed April 1951
Established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
Created the first European supranational organization given significant
authority and charged with monitoring the production and free movement
of coal and steel; powers included control over tariffs, subsidies, prices,
and levies
Governed by four institutions:
o The High Authority (which had administrative power and
represented the interests of the ECSC, not any individual member
state)
o The Special Council of Ministers (to balance the High Authority
and to represent the interests of member states)
o The Common Assembly (the first international assembly in
Europe; intended to provide democratic input and hold the High
Authority responsible, although it was never directed elected)
o The Court of Justice (to settle conflicts between members and rule
on the legality of High Authority decisions).
Members: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
II.
THE TREATY OF ROME
Signed March 1957
Established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European
Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM)
Furthered the task of economic integration. Provisions included:
o The creation of a common market within 12 years
o Removal of restrictions on internal trade
o Creation of a common external tariff barrier
o Reduction (but not yet complete elimination) of barriers to the
movement of people, services, and capital
o Development of common auxiliary policies (agriculture, transport)
o First attempts at addressing cooperation in social areas; established
a European Investment Bank and European Social Fund.
Members: Original six from the ECSC
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Handout 1
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III.
Government 431
SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT
Signed February 1986
Completed the creation of a single market, which had been partial after the
Treaty of Rome. Further integration seen as necessary and desirable in
order to attain maximum economic benefits and to improve economic
efficiencies, which had been hampered by the continued existence of nontariff barriers (NTBs)
Also intended to beef up the powers of the Community to manage,
coordinate, and enforce economic cooperation policies.\
SEA provisions included:
o Eliminated NTBs, such as quotas, subsidies, and other regulations
that hampered free and full trade
o Removed all remaining barriers to the free movement of goods,
persons, services, and capital
o Made economic and monetary union a goal of the EC (but without
specific timetables and steps)
o Introduced new (many non-economic) areas for cooperation and
regulation, such as the environment and regional development
o Restructured the institutions of the EC and their powers. Most
importantly, it gave new powers to the European Parliament,
which would have some check on the more powerful institutions
like the Council and Commission; and introduced the norm of
qualified majority voting (QMV) for most decisions – thereby
eliminating the need for unanimity in policymaking.
Members: Original six, plus Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Spain,
Portugal, Greece
IV.
TREATY ON THE EUROPEAN UNION (TEU) – also known as THE MAASTRICHT
TREATY
Signed February 1992
Intended to extend real integration to social and political arenas
Introduced after much informal cooperation and coordination on political
and social issues existed; but went beyond merely codifying existing
practice – looked to develop a real political union of Europe; in this sense,
Maastricht was more visionary – and more contentious – than the three
prior treaties
Provisions included:
o Three “pillars” of cooperation.
 Pillar One: Economic (this included all the existing areas
of cooperation under the EC)
 Pillar Two: Foreign and security policy (e.g., common
foreign policy, European defense forces, etc.)
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Government 431

Pillar Three: Justice and Home Affairs (e.g., policing,
immigration, etc.)
 Not all three pillars are equally far along; pillars 2 & 3 are
still contentious and the pace, direction, degree of
cooperation is largely determined by the member states,
and not by the institutions of the European Union
o A concrete timetable for the creation of a single currency and
single monetary policy
o Extension of cooperation to additional (mostly non-economic)
issue areas such as consumer protection, social policy, education
o Gave additional power to the European Parliament (the power of
“co-decision”) to make it a greater democratic check on the other,
non-elected institutions
o Promulgation of social rights for EU citizens
o Changed the name to the “European Union” (from the prior
“European Community”)
Members: the previous 12, although Denmark and Great Britain opted out
of the single currency provisions. Interesting factoid: four smaller, nonEU members have also decided to switch to the Euro – Andorra, Monaco,
San Marino, and Vatican City. Lichtenstein, which does not officially use
the Euro, will often accept it as legal tender, but informally.
V.
TREATY OF AMSTERDAM
Signed October 1997
Intended to make the necessary political and economic adjustments in
preparation for the EU’s expansion eastward, as well as move integration
further along in its trajectory
Continued to expand focus on non-economic issues and the 2nd and 3rd
pillars from Maastricht
Adjusted the powers of different institutions, most notably the weighting
given to individual member states in the Council of Ministers; prior voting
rules, which were roughly based on country population, overrepresented
smaller countries and gave larger countries (France, Germany, Britain)
less (relative) weight. With the prospect of expansion to the east, and the
entry of numerous, mid-sized and smaller countries, existing larger states
feared their interests would be trumped by coalitions of small states.
Amsterdam re-adjusted the voting weights to assuage these fears (the
technical changes are, well, quite technical. If interested, you can check
out the sometimes mind-numbing passages in the treaty itself – links to the
text on the course website…)
Members: the previous 12, plus Sweden, Finland, and Austria
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