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European Union

political and economic union of 27 European states

66 dated entries naming European Union, drawn from 35 separate years between 1950 CE and 2025 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as European Unity in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

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20th century

  • 1950May 9 – Robert Schuman presents his proposal for the creation of a pan-European organisation, which he believes to be indispensable to the maintenance of permanently peaceful relations between the different nations of the continent. This proposal, known as the "Schuman Declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what becomes the European Union.source
  • 1957March 25 – The Treaty of Rome (Patto di Roma) establishes the European Economic Community (EEC; predecessor of the European Union) between Italy, France, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.source
  • 19652 March – Luxembourg City is agreed to remain one of the seats of the European Union as part of the negotiations over the Merger Treaty.source
  • 196629 January – The Luxembourg Compromise is reached to resolve an impasse in the European Union.source
  • 1969December – Prime Minister Pierre Werner presents the Werner Plan on economic and monetary union in the European Union.source
  • 1973January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.source
  • 1981January 1 – Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.source
  • 1986January 1 – Spain and Portugal enter the European Community, which becomes the European Union in 1993.source
  • 1992February 7 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, founding the European Union.source
  • 199212 December – At a Council of Ministers meeting in Edinburgh, it is decided that Luxembourg City will remain one of the three seats of the European Union.source
  • 1993November 1 – The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union.source
  • 1994November 13 – Voters in Sweden decide to join the European Union in a referendum.source
  • 1994November 28 – Voters in Norway decide not to join the European Union in a referendum.source
  • 1995January 1 – Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union.source
  • 1996April 9 – In a common statement, the European Union officially recognises the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.source
  • 1996August - The United States announced sanctions on companies with greater than $40 million (USD) annual investments in Libya or Iran, despite objections from Germany, France, Canada, and the European Union.source
  • 1998March 21 – The European Union announces an arms embargo against Serbia and Montenegro.source
  • 1999January 1: The Euro Currency officially entered circulation in the European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, then formally made its debut on European and the world financial markets.source
  • 19991 January - The Euro Currency officially entered circulation in the European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, then formally made its debut on European and the worldwide financial markets.source
  • 1999July 1 – Europol (short for European Police Office) the European Union's criminal intelligence agency becomes fully operational.source

21st century

  • 20011 January - Greece adopted the Euro Currency eventually becoming officially the 12 European country to specifically join the European Union (EU) Eurozone member area country, replacing the Greek drachma in the digital transactions.source
  • 20021 January – The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for Greece, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Greek drachma by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. Greece entered a period on the same day where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Greek drachma were in dual circulation until exactly 28 February.source
  • 20021 January – The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for Luxembourg, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Luxembourgish franc by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. Luxembourg entered a period where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Luxembourgish franc were in dual circulation until specifically 28 February.source
  • 2002January 1 - The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for The Netherlands, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Dutch guilder by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. The Netherlands entered an economic period where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Dutch guilder were in dual circulation until specifically February 28.source
  • 2003March 8 – Malta approves joining the European Union in a referendum.source
  • 200311 March – Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, announces that UN-sponsored talks on the reunification of Cyprus have failed. Cyprus remains a candidate for EU membership and the Greek Cypriot government intends to sign on behalf of the whole island. Analysts suggested that Turkish opposition to unification may hurt Turkey's chances of joining the EU.source
  • 2003April 16 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens between the European Union and ten countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia), concerning these countries' accession into the EU, leading to the 2004 enlargement of the European Union.source
  • 2005October 3 – Croatia and Turkey's accession negotiations to the European Union officially starts.source
  • 2007January 1 – Bulgaria and Romania join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eurozone.source
  • 2007June 28: A TAAG-Angola Airlines Boeing 737 crashes in northern Angola resulting in the death of at least five passengers on the same day the European Union bans the airline from European airspace.source
  • 2007October 19: EU leaders agree in Lisbon that the transcription "eвро" (evro) will be used in Bulgarian translations of the euro in official EU documents.source
  • 2007November 19: The European Union imposes tougher sanctions on Burma, including an embargo on gemstones, metal and timber, and a tighter visa ban against members of the State Peace and Development Council.source
  • 2007November 29: Following new legislative elections in Togo, European Union announces lifting of sanctions imposed on country in 1993source
  • 2009March 6 - The European Union will transfer to Kenya suspected Somali pirates captured during Operation Atalanta.source
  • 2009October 2 – Ireland holds a second referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The amendment is approved by the Irish electorate, having been rejected in the Lisbon I referendum held last year.source
  • 2009November 3 – The Czech Republic becomes the final member-state of the European Union to sign the Treaty of Lisbon, thereby permitting that document's initiation into European law.source
  • 2009December 22 – Serbia applied for membership to the European Union.source
  • 2010April 27 – Standard & Poor's downgrades Greece's sovereign credit rating to junk 4 days after the activation of a €45-billion EU–IMF bailout, triggering the decline of stock markets worldwide and of the euro's value, and furthering a European sovereign debt crisis.source
  • 2010May 3: The European Commission proposes rules for imports of fishery products from Greenland into the EU.source
  • 201025 June – The FAO and EU begin providing high quality seeds to Burkinabé farmers to combat food insecurity to at-risk regions.source
  • 2010November 29 – The European Union agree to an €85 billion rescue deal for Ireland from the European Financial Stability Facility, the International Monetary Fund and bilateral loans from the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden.source
  • 2012January 23 – Iran–European Union relations: the European Union adopts an embargo against Iran in protest of its continued effort to enrich uranium.source
  • 2012June 28 – Vice President of Iran Mohammad-Reza Rahimi delivers an antisemitic speech at a United Nations conference on the illegal drug trade saying that a central Jewish text, the Talmud, was responsible for the spread of illegal drugs around the world; his speech draws condemnation from U.N. and the European Union diplomats.source
  • 201328 March – Security tightens in Cyprus as banks prepare to reopen after nearly two weeks, following a controversial international bailout that was negotiated with the EU and IMF.source
  • 2013July 1 – Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union.source
  • 2013November 21 – Euromaidan pro-EU demonstrations begin in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych rejects an economic association agreement between the European Union and Ukraine in favor of closer ties to Russia.source
  • 2014February 11 - Talks between Cuba and the European Union occur on restoring ties.source
  • 2016June 23 – The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, triggering the so-called Brexit.source
  • 2017March 29 – The United Kingdom triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting the Brexit negotiations, the talks for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.source
  • 2017April 25 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously adopted a call to place Turkey back under monitoring due to setbacks in democracy, human rights, the rule of law, freedom of expression, and judicial independence. Turkey last officially exited the monitoring process in 2004 when it began accession negotiations with the European Union.source
  • 2018May 20 – The 2018 Venezuelan presidential election was held with incumbent President Nicolás Maduro reelected with 67.8% of the vote and the lowest turnout in Venezuela's modern democratic history since the 1958 coup d'état. The elections were denounced as a "sham" by several Latin American countries, the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and the European Union.source
  • 2018May 25 – The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect, imposing strict privacy controls for European citizens worldwide.source
  • 201821 November – Kosovo puts a 100% trade tariff on all goods imported from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The European Union says this is a "clear violation" of the Central European Free Trade Agreement.source
  • 2019February 12 – The Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia, officially ending a decades-old dispute with Greece and paving the way for the former's integration into NATO and the EU.source
  • 2020December 24 – The United Kingdom and the European Union agree to a comprehensive free trade agreement prior to the end of the transition period.source
  • 2021April 28 – The European Union approves the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, governing the relationship between the EU and UK after Brexit.source
  • 2021May 19 – The European Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the formal suspension of accession negotiations between the European Union and Turkey.source
  • 202224 June - Bulgaria lifts its veto against North Macedonia's bid to join the European Union.source
  • 2022September 25 – The 2022 Italian general election is held to elect all 400 seats of the Chamber of Deputies and 200 seats of the Senate of the Republic (reduced from 630 and 215 respectively according to the outcome of the 2020 constitutional referendum). Observers commented that the results shifted the geopolitics of the European Union, following far-right gains in France, Spain, and Sweden. It was also noted that the election outcome would mark Italy's most right-wing government since 1945.source
  • 20224 October – Bermuda is removed from the European Union's tax haven blacklist,source
  • 2023February 14 – The European Parliament approves a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe and promote electric vehicles.source
  • 20233 June – The EU imposes punitive measures on Kosovo for failing to reduce tensions in the north, including exclusion from high-level meetings and suspension of pre-accession funds until 2024.source
  • 2023July 9 – New Zealand signs a free trade agreement with the European Union, increasing bilateral trade.source
  • 2024March 13 – The Artificial Intelligence Act, the world's first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, is passed by the European Union.source
  • 2025January 1 – Poland takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Hungarian presidency.source
  • 2025December 19 – EU leaders approve a €90bn ($105bn) loan for Ukraine for the next two years, which Kyiv will repay only once Russia pays reparations.source

Named in the same entries