The Treaties of Rome
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On 25 March 1957 six countries - West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg - signed the "Treaties of Rome" and laid the foundation for today's European Union (EU).
The Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) came into effect on 1 January 1958. Their precursor was the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which centralised control over the member states' production of militarily relevant coal and steel.
The EEC treaty's main objective was to create a common market within twelve years and to gradually integrate economic policy. The members also agreed to create a customs union with a common external tariff, the removal of internal trade barriers and the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital.
The Euratom treaty defined common rules for the civil use of nuclear energy. The EEC subsequently became the European Community (EC) and then the European Union (EU).
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