ABSTRACT
The history of the European Union goes back to 1951 when Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany founded the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). After centuries of military conflicts in Europe, the foundation of the ECSC was mainly driven by the idea of ensuring peace in Europe. To do so, the ECSC controlled the most important raw materials of the war industry. The work of the ECSC was considered very successful, so the six member states decided to further promote economic and political integration. As a consequence, in 1957 the European Economic Community (EEC) as well as the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) were founded. In 1967, the respective ECSC, EEC, and EURATOM parliaments were merged into one European Parliament, serving what is now called the European Union (EU; since 1993).
