ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the formation of the European Community, and some of its original ideals. It also deals with the subsequent development of the Community and the place that environmental conservation has within this process. With the end of the Second World War in 1945 came the physical and moral desire to rebuild Europe. The Treaty of Rome extended the scope of the agreements made within the Treaty of Paris, most significantly by heralding the start of the development of the Common Agricultural Policy within the European Community. The European Parliament consists of over 600 elected representatives from throughout the European Community. The Single European Act of I987 introduced the concept of the qualified majority within the Council of Ministers. Each Member State clearly has an internal legal and/or parliamentary system within which the European Community legislation must operate. The Coal and Steel Industry was targeted with funds through the European Regional Development Fund.
