European Community

The European Community (EC) is a regional organization that aims to promote economic integration, the rule of law, and human rights in Europe. It was founded in 1968, in the aftermath of Great War II, initially for the purpose of creating a lasting peace in Europe. As of 2020, it has TBD member states and a total population of TBD million.

The Community has established a common market and customs union among certain nations of Western Europe during the 1970s, which originally consisted of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Skandinavia, Portugal, Greece, and Austria. It gained a set of common institutions to promote trade, and its main decision-making body is the Council of Europe. It consists of representatives from each member state, with a rotating Presidency. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) was also created as the main legal authority in the organization, helping coordinate law enforcement and settling disputes between states. During the 1980s and 1990s the Community's membership expanded to eastern Europe, including Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus, and to the Balkans, with Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Montenegro. After the Revolutions of 2000 and the end of the Cold War in Europe, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom joined the EC.

The organization is was established by the Treaty of Lippstadt that came into effect on 1 November 1968. The EC is also called the Common Market in English-speaking countries.

Members

Flag	State	Accession	Language(s)	Currency	Population (2020)
	Austria
	Belarus
	Bulgaria
	Croatia
	France
	Germany
	Greece
	Hungary
	Italy
	Montenegro
	Netherlands
	Poland
	Portugal
	Romania
	Russia
	Serbia
	Spain
	Ukraine
	United Kingdom

See also

• Conference of American States