European Union and Member States

Chemical regulations in Europe developed as the European Union was evolving. The formation of the European Union is far outside the scope of this book, but a brief overview of recent history sets the stage for understanding the development of product stewardship regulations. The outline below documents milestones in the coalescence of the European Union after World War II [75] to provide context for the development of regulations on the manufacture and use of chemicals. 

1952 European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) formed by France, Germany, Italy, and the Benelux countries in order to support the free movement of coal and steel and free access to sources of production. 

1957 Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgimn, and Luxembourg sign the Treaties of Rome. The first Treaty created the European Economic Community (EEC), or common market, to allow for the free movement of people and trade across national borders. The second created the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). 

1965 The Treaty of Brussels, known as the Merger Treaty, merged the EEC, the ECSC, and Euratom under the Council of Ministers and European Commission. The merged entity was known as the European Communities (EC). 

1970s Four Member States - Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Greece - joined the European Communities. 

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