European Economic Community

The European Economic Community (EEC) was an economic union created by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. European Union, the EEC was incorporated into it and was renamed the European Community (EC). In 2009, the EC institutions were absorbed into the institutional framework of the European Union, leaving the EC to exist.

The aim of the Community was to achieve economic integration, including a common market and customs union, among its six founding members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. In 1965, through the In the Brussels Treaty, the institutions of the EEC merged with those of the rest of the European Communities: the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

With the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the EEC was renamed the European Community to reflect not only its economic character, but also the political aspect. By the same treaty, the three European Communities became one of the three pillars of the European Union. The European Community existed as such until it was abolished by the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, which incorporated the EC institutions into the broader framework of the European Union, becoming the latter "to replace and succeed the European Community".

Commonly, the name Common Market also referred to the EEC.

History

After several attempts at European integration in the early years after World War II, an agreement was signed in 1951, which created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which facilitated trade in coal and of steel among its member countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, West Germany, France and Italy).

The experience of the ECSC led to the Treaty of Rome, signed in 1957 by the member countries of the ECSC. The treaty created the European Economic Community, as an amalgamation between 3 organizations: the ECSC, the European Atomic Energy Commission (Euratom) and the EEC itself. These institutions were created to promote political and economic cooperation between their member countries, hoping to reduce tensions and promote reconciliation (especially between the French and Germans) to reduce the possibility of war.

The EEC was designed to create a common market among its member countries through the removal of various trade barriers and the establishment of a common foreign trade policy. These barriers were eliminated in 1968. Likewise, a common agricultural policy was created in 1962 to protect farmers from member countries from agricultural imports.

In 1967, the executive bodies of the EEC were merged with those of ECSC and Euratom. Since then, the collective name of European Communities or European Community (EC) began to be used. In addition, a European Court of Justice and a European Parliament began operations.

In terms of membership, the 6 countries that signed the Treaty of Rome have been joined by the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland in 1973, Greece in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. East Germany joined in 1990, as part of reunited Germany.

Through the Single European Act, which entered into force in 1987, the EC countries committed to establishing a common market by 1992. In addition, the act gave the European Community control over environmental, scientific, educational policies and health, among other areas.

In 1992 the Maastricht Treaty was signed, which stipulated that the EC countries adopt a common currency, a joint foreign policy and "when the time came", a defense at the European level. This treaty gave rise to the European Union, of which the European Community became one of its three pillars (the others being a common security and foreign relations policy and a police and judicial cooperation policy). The Treaty of Lisbon amended the governing documents of the EU. With the entry into force of said treaty in 2009, the name of the European Community and the three pillars ceased to exist.

Institutions

The management of the EEC required political cooperation among its member countries through community institutions. Among such institutions were:

• La Commissionresponsible for formulating and administering community policies.
• The Council of Ministersin charge of enacting laws.
• The European Parliamentoriginally conceived as a consultative body.
• La European Court of Justice, charged with interpreting community laws and resolving legal disputes.

Member countries

Founding countries of the EECCountries that entered after CEE

Country	Date of entry
France	25 March 1957
Western Germany (until 1990) Germany (since 1990)	01957-03-25 25 March 1957
Italy	01957-03-25 25 March 1957
Luxembourg	01957-03-25 25 March 1957
Netherlands	01957-03-25 25 March 1957
Belgium	25 March 1957
Denmark	01973-01-01 1 January 1973
Ireland	01973-01-01 1 January 1973
United Kingdom	01973-01-01 1 January 1973
Greece	01981-01-01 1 January 1981
Portugal	01986-01-01 1 January 1986
Spain	01986-01-01 1 January 1986

In each institution, member countries had some form of representation. The Commission had a government representative from each country. Each country was entitled to a European commissioner (acting on behalf of community interests). In the European Parliament, seats were originally allocated based on the national population. That mechanism changed in 1979 (with the first direct elections to the European Parliament) when seats were allocated by political affiliation. Other institutions, such as the European Court of Justice, had some form of national division of their members.