Читать книгу European Integration - Mark Gilbert - Страница 13

April 28, 1990: Dublin European Council welcomes German reunification. A second Dublin summit on June 25–26 decides to call a parallel IGC on political union and fixes the date that the two IGCs will begin.

June 19, 1990: Schengen Treaty signed.

October 3, 1990: Reunification of Germany.

October 27–28, 1990: Rome I European Council reveals a deep breach between Britain and the rest of the EU.

December 14–15, 1990: Rome II summit launches the two IGCs.

April 14, 1991: The EBRD starts work.

September 7, 1991: The Hague peace conference on Yugoslavia begins.

December 9–10, 1991: Maastricht European Council negotiates the Treaty on European Union. Treaty is signed on February 7, 1992.

June 2, 1992: Danes vote against the Maastricht Treaty.

September 20, 1992: French narrowly approve the Maastricht Treaty. Vote is preceded by chaos on the financial markets and the elimination of the pound sterling and the lira from the EMS.

December 11–12, 1992: Edinburgh European Council allows Denmark various opt-outs from the EU treaty and gives it a second chance to hold a referendum. “Delors II” regional development package is approved.

May 18, 1993: Danes vote “yes” to Maastricht.

June 21–22, 1993: Copenhagen European Council lays down general principles of entry for would-be members of the EU.

July 28–29, 1993: Final collapse of EMS after speculative attacks on the French franc.

November 1, 1993: Treaty on European Union becomes law.

December 15, 1993: Uruguay Round ends with major accord on liberalization of trade and agreement to establish the World Trade Organization (WTO).

March 30, 1994: Austria, Finland, Norway, and Sweden conclude negotiations for membership. Norway rejects the treaty of accession on November 28; the others ratify and join the EU on January 1, 1995. Membership is now fifteen.

June 9–12, 1994: Fourth elections to the European Parliament.

June 24–25, 1994: Corfu European Council dominated by wrangling over the successor to Jacques Delors. On July 15, Jacques Santer (Luxembourg) is chosen at a special European Council meeting in Brussels.

January 18,1995: Santer is approved as ninth president of the European Commission by the European Parliament.

March 26, 1995: Passport-free zone between Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.

July 26, 1995: Europol Convention signed. Begins work in October 1998.

December 15–16, 1995: Madrid European Council decides the name of the single currency: the euro will enter into operation on January 1, 1999,and will be available in note form from January 1, 2002.

March 29, 1996: IGC on institutional reform begins.

December 13–14, 1996: Stability and Growth Pact agreed by Dublin European Council.

June 16–17, 1997: Amsterdam European Council concludes IGC on institutional reform with a set of amendments, but no great structural alterations, to the Treaty on European Union.

July 16, 1997: The Commission presents Agenda 2000, its opinion on the accession of the ten new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe.

October 2, 1997: Treaty of Amsterdam signed.

March 25, 1998: The Commission gives a passing grade to eleven states for membership of the euro. Britain and Denmark opt out. European Council confirms decision on May 3.

March 30–31, 1998: Accession negotiations with Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia begin.

June 1, 1998: European Central Bank instituted.

September 27, 1998: Helmut Kohl’s sixteen-year leadership of Germany is ended when Gerhard Schroder’s SPD win control of the Bundestag.

January 1, 1999: Participant currencies in the euro fix their exchange rates.

March 15, 1999: European Commission resigns following the publication of a report on fraud, wasteful management, and cronyism. Several commissioners, including Edith Cresson, a former prime minister of France, are criticized by name.

March 24–25, 1999: Extraordinary European Council in Berlin names Romano Prodi (Italy) as its choice to be the tenth president of the Commission. He is approved by the EP on May 5.

May 1, 1999: The Amsterdam Treaty comes into force.

June 3–5, 1999: Javier Solana (Spain) nominated as first EU high representative for foreign policy.

June 10–13, 1999: Fifth elections to the European Parliament. Turnout, at 49 percent, is a record low.

October 15–16, 1999: Tampere European Council in Finland is the first to give most of its time to justice and home affairs.