View source for Template:Structural evolution of the European Union

Since the end of [[World War II]], [[Sovereign state|sovereign]] [[Europe]]an countries have entered into treaties and thereby co-operated and harmonised policies (or ''pooled sovereignty'') in an increasing number of areas, in the [[European integration|European integration project]] or the ''construction of Europe'' ({{langx|fr|la construction européenne}}). The following timeline outlines the legal inception of the [[European Union]] (EU)—the principal framework for this unification. The EU inherited many of its present responsibilities from the [[European Communities]] (EC), which were founded in the 1950s in the spirit of the [[Schuman Declaration]].
{| cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center;"
| colspan="3" rowspan="8" style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:left; font-size:90%;" | <u>Legend:</u><br />{{space|2}}S: signing<br />{{space|2}}F: entry into force<br />{{space|2}}T: termination<br />{{space|2}}E: expiry<br />{{space|2}}<span style="background:orange; font-size:120%;">&nbsp;</span> ''[[de facto]]'' supersession<br />{{space|2}}Rel. w/ EC/EU framework:<br />{{space|2}}<span class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1.2em; height:1.2em; margin:1px 0; border:3px dotted gray; text-align:center; margin-right:4px">&nbsp;</span>''de facto'' inside</span><br />{{space|2}}<span class="legend"><span class="legend-color" style="display:inline-block; width:1.5em; height:1.5em; margin:1px 0; border:1px solid black; background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #F5F5F5 0, #F5F5F5 3px, gainsboro 3px, gainsboro 6px); text-align:center; margin-right:4px">&nbsp;</span>outside</span>
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| colspan="4" style="background:#003399; border-left:3px solid #003399; font-variant:small-caps;" | [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of Europe]] [[European Union|<span style="color:white;">European Union</span>]] <span style="color:white;">(EU)</span>
| rowspan="11" style="color:white; background:#003399; background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(95deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(85deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%); font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>''[[History of the European Union|<span style="color:white; font-style:italic">Cont.</span>]]''<nowiki>]</nowiki>''&nbsp;&nbsp;
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| colspan="5" style="background:#464646; border-left:3px solid #464646; border-right:3px solid #464646; font-variant:small-caps" | [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of Europe]] [[European Communities|<span style="color:white;">European&nbsp;Communities</span>]] <span style="color:white;">(EC)</span>
| colspan="3" style="background:#464646; border-left:3px solid #003399; border-right:3px solid #464646" | [[Three pillars of the European Union|<span style="color:white;">(Pillar I)</span>]]
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| colspan="2" style="background:#42B995;" |
| colspan="5" style="background:#42B995; border-left:3px solid #464646" | [[Euratom|<span style="color:black;">European&nbsp;Atomic&nbsp;Energy&nbsp;Community</span>]] (EAEC or Euratom)
| colspan="3" style="background:#42B995; border-left:3px solid #003399; border-right:3px solid #464646" |
| style="background:#42B995; border-left:3px solid #003399; border-top:3px dotted #003399; border-bottom:3px dotted #003399; background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(70deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, #003399 71%, #003399 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(110deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, #003399 71%, #003399 100%); padding:0; font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>''[[Euratom#History|<span style="color:black; font-style:italic">Cont.</span>]]''<nowiki>]</nowiki>''&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
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| colspan="4" style="background:#93DAE7;" |
| colspan="5" style="background:#93DAE7; border-left:3px solid #464646;" | [[File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 6 Star Version.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community]] / [[File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 9 Star Version.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community]] / [[File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 10 Star Version.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community]] / [[File:Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community 12 Star Version.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community]] [[European Coal and Steel Community|<span style="color:black;">European Coal and Steel Community</span>]] <span style="color:black">(ECSC)</span>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:right; background:#93DAE7; padding-right:3px; border-left:3px solid #003399" | &nbsp;
| style="background:#44B72E; border-right:3px solid #464646" |
| rowspan="7" {{vert header|va=middle|nb=1|[[Template:EU competences|<span style="color:white">(Distr. of competences)</span>]]|cellstyle=background:#003399}}
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| colspan="5" style="background:#5FCF4D; border-left:3px solid #464646;" | [[European Economic Community|<span style="color:black;">European Economic Community</span>]] <span style="color:black">(EEC)</span>
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| colspan="2" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #ff8c8c 0, #ff8c8c 3px, #FF6666 3px, #FF6666 6px); border-top:3px solid #464646; border-right:3px solid #003399" | [[Schengen Area|<span style="color:black">Schengen Rules</span>]]
| colspan="2" style="background:#44B72E; border-right:3px solid #464646; border-left:3px solid #464646" | [[European Economic Community|<span style="color:black;">European&nbsp;Community (EC)</span>]]
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| rowspan="2" colspan="3" style="background:#FFFF97; border:3px dotted #464646" | [[TREVI|<span style="color:black;">TREVI</span>]]
| rowspan="2" style="background:#E6E600; border-top:3px solid #003399; border-left:3px solid #003399" | [[Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters#History|<span style="color:black;">Justice and Home Affairs</span>]] <span style="color:black;">(JHA, </span>[[Three pillars of the European Union|<span style="color:black;">pillar III)</span>]]
| colspan="2" style="background:#44B72E; border-left:3px solid #464646; border-bottom:3px solid #464646; border-right:3px solid #464646;"| &nbsp;
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| rowspan="2" colspan="2" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #174196 0, #174196 3px, #002776 3px, #002776 6px)" | [[File:Flag of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.svg|50x20px|border]] <span style="color:white">/</span> [[File:Flag of NATO.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of NATO]] [[NATO|<span style="color:white">North Atlantic Treaty Organisation</span>]] <span style="color:white">(NATO)</span>
| rowspan="2" style="background-image: repeating-linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(80deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #174196 0, #174196 3px, #002776 3px, #002776 6px); padding:0; color:white; font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[History of NATO|<span style="color:white;">Cont.</span>]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>''
| colspan="2" style="background:#D4BE00;" | [[Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters|<span style="color:black;">Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters</span>]] <span style="color:black">(PJCC, [[Three pillars of the European Union|<span style="color:black">pillar III</span>]])</span>
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| colspan="2" rowspan="4" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #abc9e0, #abc9e0 3px, #cddeeb 3px, #cddeeb 6px)" | [[File:Flag of France.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of France]] [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the United Kingdom]]<br />[[France–United Kingdom relations#20th century|<span style="color:black">Anglo-French alliance</span>]]
| colspan="2" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #85b1d6 0, #85b1d6 3px, #a4c2db 3px, #a4c2db 6px); text-align:right; border-left:5px solid orange; font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Western Union Defence Organisation|<span style="color:black">Defence arm</span>]] [[Western Union (alliance)#Cannibalisation and marginalisation|<span style="color:black">handed</span>]] to [[NATO|<span style="color:black">NATO</span>]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>''
| colspan="4" style="background:#CA7FC8; border:3px dotted #464646" | [[European Political Co-operation|<span style="color:black;">European Political Co-operation</span>]]&nbsp;<span style="color:black">(EPC)</span>
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| colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#AD76C9; border-bottom:3px solid #003399" | [[Common Foreign and Security Policy|<span style="color:black;">Common Foreign and Security Policy</span>]]<br/><span style="color:black">(CFSP, [[Three pillars of the European Union|<span style="color:black">pillar II</span>]])</span>
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| rowspan="3" colspan="3" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #85b1d6 0, #85b1d6 3px, #a4c2db 3px, #a4c2db 6px); border-left:5px solid orange" | [[File:Flag of the Western Union.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the Western Union]] [[Western Union (alliance)|<span style="color:black">Western Union</span>]] (WU)
| rowspan="2" colspan="3" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px)" | [[File:Flag of the Western European Union (1993-1995).svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the Western European Union]] / [[File:Flag of the Western European Union.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of the Western European Union]] [[Western European Union|<span style="color:black">Western European Union</span>]] (WEU)
| colspan="6" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px); text-align:right; font-size:90%; border-right:3px solid #003399" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Western European Union#1984–1998: Revival|<span style="color:black; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:black;">Tasks</span>]] defined following the WEU's 1984 [[Rome Declaration|<span style="color:black;">reactivation</span>]] [[Western European Union#1998–2009: Transfer of tasks to the EU|<span style="color:black;">handed</span>]] to the [[European Union|<span style="color:black">EU</span>]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>''
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| colspan="6" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px)" | &nbsp;
| colspan="2" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px)"| &nbsp;
| style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px); border-right:5px solid orange"| &nbsp;
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| colspan="2" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #8bafcc 0, #8bafcc 3px, #7AA7CB 3px, #7AA7CB 6px); text-align:right; font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>Social, cultural tasks [[History of the Common Security and Defence Policy#1954 – 1970: A dormant WEU is established|<span style="color:black">handed</span>]] to [[Council of Europe|<span style="color:black">CoE</span>]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>''
| rowspan="2" style="background-image: repeating-linear-gradient(100deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(80deg, transparent 0, transparent 70%, white 71%, white 100%), repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #275ac2 0, #275ac2 3px, #003399 3px, #003399 6px); padding:0; color:white; font-size:90%;" | ''<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Council of Europe#History|<span style="color:white;">Cont.</span>]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>''
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| colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7"| {{navbar|Structural evolution of the European Union|mini=1}}
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| colspan="4" style="background-image:repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, #275ac2 0, #275ac2 3px, #003399 3px, #003399 6px)" | [[File:Flag of Europe.svg|50x20px|border|link=Flag of Europe]] [[Council of Europe|<span style="color:white">Council of Europe</span>]] <span style="color:white">(CoE)</span>
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left"
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Entente Cordiale]]''<br/>S: 8 April 1904|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Treaty of Dunkirk|Dunkirk Treaty]]''{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1}}<br/>S: 4 March 1947<br />F: 8 September 1947<br />E: 8 September 1997|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Treaty of Brussels|Brussels Treaty]]''{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1}}<br/>S: 17 March 1948<br />F: 25 August 1948<br />T: 30 June 2011|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Statute of the Council of Europe|London]] and [[North Atlantic Treaty|Washington]] treaties''{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1}}<br/>S: 5 May/4 April 1949<br />F: 3 August/24 August 1949|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|Paris treaties: [[Treaty of Paris (1951)|ECSC]] and [[Treaty establishing the European Defence Community|EDC]]{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-6}}<br/>S: 18 April 1951/27 May 1952<br />F: 23 July 1952/[[Treaty_establishing_the_European_Defence_Community#Potential_resumption_of_ratification_procedure|?]]<br />E: 23 July 2002/—|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Treaty of Brussels#Modification|Protocol Modifying and<br />Completing the Brussels Treaty]]''{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1}}<br/>S: 23 October 1954<br />F: 6 May 1955|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|Rome treaties: [[Treaty of Rome|EEC]] and [[Euratom Treaty|EAEC]]<br/>S: 25 March 1957<br />F: 1 January 1958|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[History of the Common Security and Defence Policy#1954 – 1970: A dormant WEU is established|WEU-CoE agreement]]''{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1}}<br/>S: 21 October 1959<br />F: 1 January 1960|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Merger Treaty|Brussels (Merger) Treaty]]{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-3}}<br/>S: 8 April 1965<br />F: 1 July 1967|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Davignon report]]<br/>S: 27 October 1970|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[TREVI|European Council conclusions]]<br/>S: 2 December 1975|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Single European Act]] (SEA)<br/>S: 17/28 February 1986<br />F: 1 July 1987|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|''[[Schengen Agreement|Schengen Treaty]] and [[Schengen Area#The Schengen Agreement and the Schengen Convention|Convention]]''<br/>S: 14 June 1985/19 June 1990<br />F: 26 March 1995|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Maastricht Treaty]]{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-2}}{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-4}}<br />S: 7 February 1992<br />F: 1 November 1993|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Treaty of Amsterdam|Amsterdam Treaty]]<br/>S: 2 October 1997<br />F: 1 May 1999|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| {{vert header|nb=1|[[Treaty of Nice|Nice Treaty]]<br/>S: 26 February 2001<br />F: 1 February 2003|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
| colspan="3" {{vert header|nb=1|[[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]]{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-5}}<br/>S: 13 December 2007<br />F: 1 December 2009|cellstyle=border-left:1px solid #C7C7C7; width:7%}}
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{{notelist|group=lower-roman|refs=
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-1|Although not EU treaties ''per se'', these treaties affected the [[History of the Common Security and Defence Policy|development]] of the EU defence arm, a main part of the CFSP. The Franco-British alliance established by the Dunkirk Treaty was ''de facto'' superseded by WU. The CFSP pillar was bolstered by some of the security structures that had been established within the remit of the 1955 [[Treaty of Brussels|Modified Brussels Treaty]] (MBT). The Brussels Treaty was [[Western European Union#2009–2011: Dissolution|terminated]] in 2011, consequently dissolving the WEU, as the [[wikisource:Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title V: General Provisions on the Union's External Action Service and Specific Provisions on the Common Foreign and Security Policy#Article 42|mutual defence clause]] that the Lisbon Treaty provided for EU was considered to render the WEU superfluous. The EU thus ''de facto'' superseded the WEU.}}
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-2|The treaties of Maastricht and Rome form the EU's [[Treaties of the European Union|legal basis]], and are also referred to as the [[Treaty on European Union]] (TEU) and the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]] (TFEU), respectively. They are amended by secondary treaties.}}
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-3|The [[European Communities]] obtained common institutions and a shared [[Legal person|legal personality]] (i.e. ability to e.g. sign treaties in their own right).}}
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-4|Between the EU's founding in 1993 and consolidation in 2009, the union consisted of [[Three pillars of the European Union|three pillars]], the first of which were the European Communities. The other two pillars consisted of additional areas of cooperation that had been added to the EU's remit.}}
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-5|The consolidation meant that the EU inherited the European Communities' [[Legal person|legal personality]] and that the [[Three pillars of the European Union|pillar system was abolished]], resulting in the EU framework as such covering all policy areas. Executive/legislative power in each area was instead determined by a [[:Template:EU competences|distribution of competencies]] between [[Institutions of the European Union|EU institutions]] and [[Member state of the European Union|member states]]. This distribution, as well as treaty provisions for policy areas in which unanimity is required and [[Double majority#European Union|qualified majority voting]] is possible, reflects the depth of EU integration as well as the EU's partly [[Supranational union|supranational]] and partly [[Intergovernmentalism|intergovernmental]] nature.}}
{{efn|group=lower-roman|name=ref-6|Plans to establish a [[Treaty establishing the European Political Community|European Political Community]] (EPC) were shelved following the French failure to ratify the [[Treaty establishing the European Defence Community]] (EDC). The EPC would have combined the ECSC and the EDC.}}
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== See also ==
* [[Template:EU treaties and declarations]]
* [[Template:Structural evolution of the European Commission]]

[[Category:European Union history templates]]
[[Category:Graphical timeline templates]]
</noinclude>