The Treaty also launched a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and a Justice and Home Affairs policy which are managed at an intergovernmental level. .
The European Union in 1994 completed membership negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway. On January 1, 1995 Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union. Norway failed to ratify its accession treaty and did not become a member of the European Union. The European Union prepared the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference on institutional reform. The 1996 Intergovernmental Conference resulted in the Treaty of Amsterdam which was signed October 2, 1996 and went into effect on May 1, 1999. On January 1, 1999 the Euro was introduced. Electronically 12 participating member states would complete introduction of the Euro which was fully launched January 1, 2002. The 2000 Intergovernmental Conference resulted in the 2001 Treaty of Nice. .
The European Convention began debates on the future of Europe. Part of the debates were to propose a new framework and structures for the European Union. These structural changes were geared to changes in the world situation, the needs of the citizens of Europe and the future development of the European Union. .
On October 29, 2002, the European Commission recommended that candidate countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia be the first to join the European Union under the latest enlargement process. These expansion recommendations were made possibly in time for the scheduled June 2004 European Parliament Elections. European expansion would be a great achievement for the European Union. .
My main objective in reviewing this basic history of events that lead to the establishment of the European Union we know today, is to show all the great success and achievements the European Union has achieved.
