February 7th: European Union formed

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

Today in 1992, in the Dutch city of Maastricht, near the border with
Germany and Belgium and not far from the historical capital of
Charlemagne, the then 12 members of the European Economic Community,
signed the treaty that instituted the European Union.

EU banner and map showing the early 90s EU (light green countries joined after Maastricht treaty)

The treaty stabilished the future institution of the Euro, it
isntituted three pillars: (1) European Community (economic), (2) Common
Foreign and Security policy and (3) Police and Judicial cooparation,
and reformed the European institutions in order to allow for more
flexibility in decission making, giving some minor powers to the
European Parlament. 

The treaty was ratified by all members, not without difficulties: a
referendum in France supported it by just 51%, Denmark initially
rejected it and the UK had troubles passing it in Parlament. The treaty
entered in force in November 1993, though Denmark stayed apart for some
more time, until a second referendum passed it, with some minor
reforms. 

Some other events that happened today:

  1898 - Emile Zola is brought to trial for libel, after he published his historical article "J'Accuse!"
  1914 - Charlie Chaplin incorporates his famous "tramp" ahcarcter
to the history of cinema in his second film: "Kid auto races at Venice"

Image of that historical film

  1940 - Disney's Pinocchio debuts

Sequence of that film

  1962 - USA stabilishes its boycott on Cuba, banishing all imports and exports with the Caribbean republic
  1971 - Switzerland gives right of vote to women at federal level.
It is the last European cnation to do so (though some Catholic cantons
would still be only "half democratic" until 1990)
  1990 - The Central Comitee of the SUCP renounces to its monopoly on power

Soon after Gorbachev accused Yeltsin of trying to break the Union to pursue his own agenda

  1991 - Jean Bertrand Aristide is sworn as first elected President of Haiti, months later a coup would depose him
  1991 - IRA attacks the residence of British Prime Minister with mortars, during a cabinet meeting

Full list: Wikipedia

Edited by Maju