06-Europe

Europe at a Glance

The First Europeans

Scientists believe that the first people did not arrive in Europe until about
30,000 BC during the last Ice Age.

These people who can be called the first Europeans probably came in search of food, following migrating herds of bison, reindeer and mammoths. They would have crossed into Europe via the Dardanelles which is now a stretch of water separating Greece from Turkey. Then it was a landbridge.

As the Ice age came to an end plant and animal life began to flourish.

Early man moved slowly northwards into the fertile plains of Europe. He learned how to tame animals, to grow plants for food and to makes clothes out of animal skins.

Archaeologists group early people according to what materials they used to make tools.

The earliest evidence of man in Europe consists of stone and
bone tools so the people who made them are said to belong to the Stone Age.

All of Europe had probably entered the Stone Age by 4000 BC.

Historyof the European Union

The dream of a united Europe is not new. It can be traced back almost a millennium.

1200s It was suggested by a French thinker called Pierre Dubois.

1693 William Penn proposed a European Parliament to ensure peace.

1800s Charles McKay, a Scotsman, suggested a ‘United States of Europe’.

1946 Winston Churchill developed the idea in a famous speech.

Progress towards a European Union since then:

1948 Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg formed an economic union calledBenelux.

1951 The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSE) was formed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and joined by France, Italy and West Germany.

1957 The six members of the ECSE signed the Treaty of Rome forming the European Economic Community (EEC). The aim was to remove trade barriers which divided Europe.

1961 Denmark, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and Ireland applied to join the EEC.

1967 The ECSE and the EEC were linked to form the Eurropean Community (EC)

1973 Denmark, the UK, and Ireland became members of the EC enlarging it to nine countries.

1981 Greece became the tenth member.

1986 Spain and Portugal increased the number to twelve countries.

T
he European Community adopted the Council of Europe flag of blue with a circle of twelve gold stars. The twelve stars do not stand for the number of countries (then twelve), but are intended to represent symmetry and harmony.

1991 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined expanding the members of the EC to fifteen.

1993 The EC is now known as the European Union (EU).

2004 Ten more countries: Estonia. Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic,
Poland and Slovakia