Appendix 2 - General Information about Plurilateral Regional Agreements

Summary

This appendix is supplementary to Chapter 5. The appendix is organised geographically and sets out some general information relating to key dates, membership and institutions for each of the agreements discussed.

Europe

The EU

The establishment of the EU goes back to 1951, when six countries decided to enter the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). In 1957, these same states created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The aim of the EEC was the creation of a common market which would be achieved with the adoption of a common external tariff, the attainment of undistorted competition, the gradual coordination of the participating states' economic and monetary policies, and gradual harmonisation of their fiscal and social policies. The EEC and EURATOM Treaties were merged in 1965, when the European Community was created.

The bloc has been built around four main institutions. Two bodies have predominantly legislative functions: the Council of Ministers, which consists of governmental representatives of the Member States, and the European Parliament, which consists of members elected by the citizens of the Member States. The other institutions are: the (European) Court of Justice, which is the judicial body with the competence to decide upon cases based on EU law, and the European Commission, which is the administrative body of the EU, with some quasi-judicial and legislative powers.