1. The Founding Fathers of the EU 1949 - 2009

2. The creation of the European Union we live in today was inspired by the following visionary leaders. Here is some founding fathers of the EU : French founding fathers - Jean Monnet - Robert Schuman others founding fathers - Paul-Henri Spaak - Altiero Spinelli - Konrad Adenauer - Joseph Bech - Johan Willem Beyen - Winston Churchill - Alcide de Gasperi - Walter Hallstein - Sicco Mansholt

5.  In 1949 the Council of Europe was created by West European nations  Six countries signed the Treaty of Rome on March 25th, 1957  On July 30th 1962, the EU starts its «common agricultural policy » that gives the countries joint control over food production.  Between the 7th and the 10th June 1979, for the first time EU citizens directly elect the members of the European Parliament. Then, they were delegated by national parliament. The influence of the Parliament is constantly increasing.  In 1968 the customs duties disappeared, the trade don’t circulate freely over EU borders. There are differences in national regulations. The Single European Act of 1986 launches a vast six-year programme to sort them out, the Act also gives the European Parliament more power and strengthens EU powers in environmental protection.

6.  The Treaty on European Union was signed on February, 7th1992 in Maastricht. This is a major European milestone setting clear rules for the future single currency as well as for foreign and security policy and closer cooperation in justice and home affairs. The name “European Union” replaced “European Community”  The euro coins arrived on January, 1st 2002 in 12 countries, the notes are the same in all countries.  In September, a considerable financial crisis hit the world economy. The mortgage loans in the United States caused the problem. A lot of banks also sank into financial difficulties, the crisis led to a closer economic cooperation between the EU countries. Elsa and Rania