History
World War II devastated the of Europe. Some Europeans hoped that the of western Europe would result in an agreement to a European state. But the idea of a Europe was undermined by the beginning of the Cold War and lingering suspicions of West Germany (now part of the united Republic of Germany). Two French statesmen - Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman - believed that France and Germany might put aside their long-running antagonism if given for . In May 1950 Schuman proposed the of a common to the coal and steel industry in West Germany and France; membership was also open to other western European countries. The proposal was welcomed by the West German government and by the governments of Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Along with France, the five countries signed the Treaty of Paris in 1951, and the European Coal and Steel (ECSC) was in August 1952. The British government opposed the supranational nature of the planned ECSC and decided not to join.

In June 1955 the foreign ministers of the six nations in the ECSC agreed to examine the possibilities for further . This new effort resulted in the two Treaties of Rome of March 1957, which the European (EEC) and the European Atomic (Euratom). The latter proved to be of little importance because each national government kept control of its power programmes.

European
, the EEC treaty mandated, over a 12-year , the of trade barriers among member nations, the development of a common tariff for imports from the rest of the world, and the of a common for managing and supporting agriculture. Politically, the treaty gave a greater to national governments than had the earlier ECSC treaty, though it did provide for the EEC to become more supranational as progressed. In to the EEC, Great Britain and six other non-EEC countries formed the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960. In 1961, with the EEC's success, Great Britain began negotiations towards membership. In January 1963, however, the French president Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership, particularly because of its close ties to the United States. De Gaulle vetoed British admittance a second time in 1967.

Creation of the EC
The basic of the EEC treaty were gradually , and the three (the EEC, the ECSC, and Euratom) merged in July 1967 under one set of , the European . No progress was made on enlargement of the EC or on any other new proposals, however, until after De Gaulle resigned as president of France in May 1969. The next French president, Georges Pompidou, was more open to new within the EC.

At Pompidou's suggestion, a summit meeting of the leaders of the member states was held in The Hague in December 1969. This summit paved the way for the of a permanent arrangement for the EC, the development of a for foreign- among the member nations, and the opening of membership negotiations with Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, and Norway.

of the EC
In January 1972, after nearly two years of negotiations, treaties of accession were signed to admit the four applicant countries on January 1, 1973. Great Britain, Ireland, and Denmark joined as ; however, in a national referendum, Norway voted against membership.

In Great Britain, opposition to EC membership continued. After the party regained power in 1974, it carried out its election promise to renegotiate British membership conditions (particularly ones); the renegotiation resulted in only changes, but it a of uncertainty within the EC. A divided government endorsed continued EC membership and called a national referendum on the for June 1975. strong opposition from some groups, the British people voted for continued membership.

In 1979 and 1980, the British government, claiming that the value of its far the value of received, again attempted to change its terms of membership. The was during the spring of 1980 when several members agreed to pay a greater share of the EC costs. In 1984 it was agreed that Great Britain would receive a partial rebate of its net to the EC, beginning with a rebate of US$800 million for that year.

Greece entered the EC in 1981 and, after eight years of negotiations, Spain and Portugal joined in 1986. Other important developments during the 1970s and 1980s included the of EC to less developed countries (especially to former colonial possessions of the member states); the institution of the European Monetary System to provide some stability in the relationships among member ; and progress towards trade barriers and a single market.