1951–1993 CE (from the Coal and Steel Community to the European Union) / Europe
European Communities: From Coal and Steel Cooperation to the EU
Six countries placed coal and steel production under shared institutions, gradually expanding cooperation into economic and political affairs; the European Union was formally established in 1993.
The story
On April 18, 1951, France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg signed the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community in Paris, and it entered into force in 1952. By jointly managing important industrial resources, the participating countries sought to reduce the risk of war and promote cooperation. The Treaties of Rome, signed on March 25, 1957, entered into force on January 1, 1958, establishing the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. The Maastricht Treaty, signed in 1992, entered into force on November 1, 1993, formally establishing the European Union. This entry is located in Paris, where the 1951 treaty was signed; 1951–1993 represents selected phases of institutional development, rather than implying that European integration ended in 1993. The European Union is also not equivalent to all of Europe.
Elsewhere in the world
The Second World War, the opening of the Berlin Wall, and European integration show how postwar Europe changed amid memories of war, Cold War division, and international institutions.
Dates and precision
1951–1993 CE (from the Coal and Steel Community to the European Union) Ongoing process
The dates describe a process over time; the interactive timeline uses its starting point.
Representative map location
Representative coordinates · 48.857°, 2.352°
Coordinates locate a representative point for the story. They do not mean the event happened only here and do not represent historical borders.
Bibliography
- Council of the European Union | The Schuman Declaration and the 1951 Treaty of Paris
- European Union | The 1992 Treaty Signing and the Formal Establishment of the European Union in 1993
- European Union | The 1957 Signing of the Treaties of Rome and Their Entry into Force in 1958
Sources are listed as bibliography titles, without external links. A reference does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified.