European Union

A Brief Timetable of the Major Stages in the Construction of Europe :

From the Europe of 12 to the Europe of 15 (1986-1994)
Europe has twelve member countries: in 1986 Spain and Portugal join the EEC.
February 1986, the Single European Act is signed: it provides for the inauguration of a Single Market without internal frontiers on 1 January 1993.
On 9 December 1989, eleven member states (without the United Kingdom ) adopt the European Social Charter.
The European Economic Space comes into existence 21 October 1991: it creates a market of 380 million inhabitants, comprising the 12 countries of the European Community together with the seven countries (Austria, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland) of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
The Treaty on European Union is signed at Maastricht (Netherlands) on 7 February 1992: the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is launched, with its ultimate goals of a single currency, broader powers for the European Parliament, creation of common foreign and security polities, cooperation on matters of criminality and internal security ,and creation of a European citizenship in addition to each national citizenship.
On 20 September, France passes the referendum on the Maastricht treaty by a slim margin.
The Single Market comes into effect on 1 January 1993, the Treaty on European Union in November 1993.
In 1993 a "trail-membership" in the European Union is adopted: it concerns six Central and eastern European countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Rumania), the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Slovenia, in preparation for their becoming full members in the year 2000.
The citizens of Europe go to the polls for the fourth time, in June 1994, to elect their representatives to the European Parliament.
On 1 January the European Union acquires three new members: Austria, Finland and Sweden, Norway having voted "no", in a referendum on their entry into Europe.
Also in January 1995, Jacques Santer of Luxembourg succeeds the Frenchman Jacques Delors as president of the European Commission.
Coming rendez-vous
The Intergovernmental Conference of the Governments of the 15 member states of the European Union on the reform of European institutional structure and the review of the Maastricht treaty begins 29 March 1966 in Turin, Italy. It ends with the signature of the new Treaty and its ratification by the member states.
Six months after the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference negotiations begin on inclusion in the European Union of Cyprus and Malta, the next member states.

1999-2002 : adoption of the single currency : the Euro.