European Economic Community

The  European Economic

European Economic
Community  (EEC) was a  regional Community/European Community
organization created by the Treaty of Rome of
1957,[note 1]  aiming to foster  economic 1958–2009
integration  among its member states. It was
subsequently renamed the  European
Community  (EC) upon becoming
integrated into the first pillar of the newly
formed  European Union  in 1993. In the
popular language, however, the Flag (1986)[1]
singular  European Community  was
sometimes inaccuratelly used in the wider Anthem: "Ode to Joy" (orchestral)
sense of the plural  European Communities, 1:01
in spite of the latter designation covering all
the three constituent entities of the first
pillar.[2]

In 2009, the EC formally ceased to exist and

its institutions were directly absorbed by the
EU. This made the Union the formal
successor institution of the Community.

The Community's initial aim was to bring

about economic integration, including
a common market and customs union, among
its  six founding
EEC in 1993
Status Economic union

Institutional seats Brussels

Luxembourg
Strasbourg²
Largest city London

Official languages 9 (1993)
Commission  
President
• 1958–1967 Walter Hallstein
• 1967–1970 Jean Rey
• 1970–1972 Franco Maria Malfatti
• 1972–1973 Sicco Mansholt
• 1973–1977 François-Xavier Ortoli
• 1977–1981 Roy Jenkins
• 1981–1985 Gaston Thorn
• 1985–1993 Jacques Delors
Legislature Council of Ministers
European Parliament

Historical era Cold War

• Treaty signed 25 March 1957
 • Established 1 January 1958
• European 1 July 1967
Communities
• Single market 1 January 1993
• EEC becomes 1 November 1993
the European
Community, one
of the 3
European
Communities
constituting the I
pillar of the EU
• Pillar abolished 1 December 2009
Currency 13 currencies

Succeeded by
European Union

Today part of European Union United Kingdom

¹ The information in this infobox covers the EEC's time

as an independent organization. It does not give
details of post-1993 operation within the EU as that is
explained in greater length in the European
Union and European Communities articles.
² De facto only, these cities hosted the main institutions
but were not titled as capitals.

members:  Belgium,  France,  Italy,  Luxembourg, the  Netherlands  and  West Germany. It gained a
common set of  institutions  along with the  European Coal and Steel Community  (ECSC) and
the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) as one of the European Communities under
the 1965  Merger Treaty  (Treaty of Brussels). In 1993 a complete  single market  was achieved,
known as the internal market, which allowed for the free movement of goods, capital, services, and
people within the EEC. In 1994 the internal market was formalised by the EEA agreement. This
agreement also extended the internal market to include most of the member states of the European
Free Trade Association, forming the European Economic Area, which encompasses 15 countries.

Upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the EEC was renamed the European
Community to reflect that it covered a wider range than economic policy. This was also when the
three European Communities, including the EC, were collectively made to constitute the first of
the three pillars of the European Union, which the treaty also founded. The EC existed in this form
until it was abolished by the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, which incorporated the EC's institutions into
the EU's wider framework and provided that the EU would "replace and succeed the European
Community".

The EEC was also known as the  European Common Market  in the English-speaking
countries[3] and sometimes referred to as the European Community even before it was officially
renamed as such in 1993.

Contents
History
Background
Creation and early years
Enlargement and elections
 Toward Maastricht
European Community
Aims and achievements
Members
Institutions
Background
Council
Commission
Parliament
Court
Auditors
Policy areas
See also
EU evolution timeline
Notes
References
Further reading
Primary sources
External links

History

Background

In April 1951, the  Treaty of Paris  was signed, creating the  European Coal and Steel
Community  (ECSC). This was an international community based on  supranationalism  and
international law, designed to help the  economy of Europe  and prevent future war
by integrating its members.

With the aim of creating a  federal Europe  two further communities were proposed: a  European
Defence Community and a European Political Community. While the treaty for the latter was being
drawn up by the  Common Assembly, the ECSC parliamentary chamber, the proposed defense
community was rejected by the French Parliament. ECSC President Jean Monnet, a leading figure
behind the communities, resigned from the High Authority in protest and began work on
alternative communities, based on economic integration rather than political integration.[4]  After
the  Messina Conference  in 1955,  Paul Henri Spaak  was given the task to prepare a report on the
idea of a  customs union. The so-called  Spaak Report  of the  Spaak Committee  formed the
cornerstone of the intergovernmental negotiations at Val Duchesse conference centre in
1956.[5] Together with the Ohlin Report the Spaak Report would provide the basis for the Treaty of
Rome.
In 1956,  Paul Henri Spaak  led the  Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and
Euratom  at the  Val Duchesse  conference centre, which prepared for the  Treaty of Rome  in 1957.
The conference led to the signature, on 25 March 1957, of the  Treaty of Rome  establishing a
European Economic Community.

Creation and early years

The resulting communities were the European Economic Community (EEC) and the  European
Atomic Energy Community  (EURATOM or sometimes EAEC). These were markedly less
supranational than the previous communities,  due to protests from some countries that
their sovereignty was being infringed (however there would still be concerns with the behaviour of
the  Hallstein Commission). Germany became a founding member of the EEC, and Konrad
Adenauer was made leader in a very short time. The first formal meeting of the  Hallstein
Commission  was held on 16 January 1958 at the  Chateau de Val-Duchesse. The EEC (direct
ancestor of the modern Community) was to create a customs union while Euratom would promote
co-operation in the  nuclear power  sphere. The EEC rapidly became the most important of these
and expanded its activities. One of the first important accomplishments of the EEC was the
establishment (1962) of common price levels for agricultural products. In 1968, internal tariffs
(tariffs on trade between member nations) were removed on certain products.

Another crisis was triggered in regard to proposals for the

financing of the Common Agricultural Policy, which came into
force in 1962. The transitional period whereby decisions were
made by unanimity had come to an end, and majority-voting in
the council had taken effect. Then-French President Charles de
Gaulle's opposition to supranationalism and fear of the other
members challenging the CAP led to an "empty chair policy"
whereby French representatives were withdrawn from the
European institutions until the French veto was reinstated.
Eventually, a compromise was reached with the  Luxembourg
compromise  on 29 January 1966 whereby a  gentlemen's
agreement  permitted members to use a veto on areas of
national interest.[6][7]

On 1 July 1967 when the  Merger Treaty  came into operation,

combining the institutions of the ECSC and Euratom into that
of the EEC, they already shared a  Parliamentary
Assembly  and  Courts. Collectively they were known as
the  European Communities. The Communities still had French President Charles de
Gaulle vetoed British membership,
independent personalities although were increasingly
held back the development of
integrated. Future treaties granted the community new powers
Parliament's powers and was at the
beyond simple economic matters which had achieved a high
centre of the 'empty chair crisis' of
level of integration. As it got closer to the goal of political
1965
integration and a peaceful and united Europe, what  Mikhail
Gorbachev described as a Common European Home.

Enlargement and elections