ABSTRACT
The treaties ratified by the member states since the early 1950s are the legal foundations of the European Union (EU). These treaties are multilateral international agreements that have been developed for differing reasons; but they all have the same underlying goal of achieving an ever-closer union among the member states and the citizens of the member states. The primary objective of this union is to ensure peace and prosperity within the geographical region occupied by the signatory states. The original treaty (the Treaty of the European Economic Community) did not contain a specific environmental chapter. Other articles, relating to trade, and the living and working conditions of the citizens, provided the legitimacy for the EU. The first explicit environmental articles were included in the Single European Act in 1987 (Table 2.2.1).
