t up one year later. And in 1950, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman, proposed the creation of a large European Common Market open to all nations on the continent. His proposal led to the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), a common market of initially six nations for strategic economic sectors. Shortly thereafter, in the Treaty of Rome, several Western European countries organized unions for defense and political purposes as well. On March 25, 1957, two treaties were signed by the same six nations creating the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). They extended the principles tried and tested in the ECSC, leading toward a Common Market, and set a series of targets for the establishment of mutual economic, defense and political principles (Budd, 1985, pp. 16-19). The mutual cooperation between these three separate organizations earned them recognition under an umbrella terminology of the "European Community" (EC).
Eventually, several other Western European countries joined the international organizations. Initially, France under the leadership of General de Gaulle resisted expanded the European Community beyond the original six member nations, especially the admittance of the United Kingdom. But after the retirement of de Gaulle, Ireland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom joined in 1973 (after staving off veto efforts by France), expanding the Community to nine members. Following a return of democracy to southern European countries, an additional enlargement of the European Co=unities began. Greece was admitted to the Community in 1981; and Spain and Portugal became members in 1986. The European Community currently has 12 member nations, including a unified Germany (Archer and Butler, 1992, pp. 18-20).
Although the three elements of the European Community remain separate entities--the European Coal and Steel Community, the Europea...