The Council of Ministers is a decision making body of the EU, composed of the ministers, representing the national governments of the 15 member states. It enacts legislation and oversees intergovernmental cooperation. Although being seen in perspective as such, the EU today should, under no circumstances, be seen as a state or a government, neither should it be considered an international organization. Instead, it should be understood as an institutional framework for governing shared sovereignty, created with the ultimate goal to form a united Europe. .
CHRONOLOGY OF EU'S HISTORY(more at http://www.eurunion.org).
1952 Six countries - Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - create the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) by pooling their coal and steel resources in a common market controlled by an independent supranational authority.
1958 The Rome Treaties set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), extending the common market for coal and steel to all economic sectors in the member countries.
1973 The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Denmark join the European Community (EC).
1979 The European Parliament is elected, for the first time, by direct universal suffrage and the European Monetary System (EMS) becomes operative.
1981 Greece becomes the 10th member state.
1985 The program to complete the Single Market by 1992 is launched.
1986 Spain and Portugal become the 11th and 12th member states.
1987 The Single European Act (SEA) introduces majority voting on Single Market legislation and increases the power of the European Parliament.
1989 The Madrid European Council launches the plan for achievement of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
1990 East and West Germany are reunited.
1991 Two parallel intergovernmental conferences produce the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) which EU leaders approve at the Maastricht European Council.