EU expansion 1952 - 2007

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/04/enlarging_europe/html/eu_expansion.stmThe European Union has its roots in the 1951 agreement by France, Germany and four other countries to pool coal and steel supplies, with the aim of ending "age-old rivalries". The European Coal and Steel Community came into existence in July 1952. The Treaty of Rome creating a broader "common market" was signed five years later. The first enlargement took place in 1973. The sixth enlargement occurred on 1 January 2007.