Chronology

1946 19 September: Winston Churchill gives his “United States of Europe” speech at the University of Zurich.

1947 14 May: Based on ideas and support from Winston Churchill, the United Europe Movement is created. 5 June: The United States (U.S.) government announces the launch of the Marshall Plan to assist Europe with its postwar economic recovery.

1948 1 January: The Benelux Customs Union enters into force. 17 March: The Brussels Treaty on Economic, Social, and Cultural Collaboration and Collective Self-Defense is signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK), creating the Western European Union (WEU). 16 April: The Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) is created to coordinate the funding available from the U.S.-sponsored Marshall Plan for European economic recovery. 7–11 May: The Congress of Europe, chaired by Winston Churchill, meets in The Hague, giving impetus to the creation of the Council of Europe.

1949 4 April: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the United States sign the North Atlantic Treaty, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). 5 May: The Council of Europe is founded through the signing of the Treaty of London. 3 August: The Treaty of London establishing the Council of Europe enters into force.

1950 9 May: Robert Schuman proposes the pooling of the French and German coal and steel resources under a high authority in the Schuman Declaration. 4 November: The Council of Europe signs and adopts the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Rome.

1951 18 April: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Paris, creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

1952 27 May: The treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC) is signed in Paris by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. 23 July: The Treaty of Paris enters into force. 10 August: The ECSC High Authority begins operations under the presidency of Jean Monnet. 10 September: The Common Assembly of the ECSC meets for the first time under the presidency of Paul-Henri Spaak.

1953 3 September: The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms enters into force.

1954 11 May: Alcide de Gasperi is elected president of the Common Assembly of the ECSC. 30 August: The French parliament rejects the EDC Treaty. 23 October: The Paris Agreements are signed, amending the Brussels Treaty and reestablishing the WEU with the added membership of Italy and West Germany. 10 November: Jean Monnet resigns as president of the ECSC’s High Authority. 21 December: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) renders its first judgment.

1955 1–2 June: The foreign ministers of the ECSC member states meet in Messina, Italy, to discuss the future of European integration. 3 June: René Mayer assumes the presidency of the ECSC High Authority.

1956 6 May: The Spaak Report on the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) is presented to the ECSC. 26 June: The intergovernmental conference (IGC) that drafted the Treaties of Rome creating the EEC and ERUATOM begins. 27 November: Hans Furler is elected president of the Common Assembly of the ECSC.

1957 25 March: The Treaties of Rome are signed by the six founding members, creating the EEC and EURATOM.

1958 1 January: The Treaties of Rome enter into force. 7 January: Walter Hallstein is elected first president of the EEC Commission. Louis Armand is elected president of the EURATOM Commission. Paul Finet is elected president of the ECSC High Authority. 26 January: The Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) is created by the six founding members, to aid in the preparation of the work of the Councils. 19 March: The European Parliamentary Assembly is established, replacing the Common Assembly of the ECSC. Robert Schuman is elected president of the European Parliamentary Assembly. 19 May: The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) begins operations.

1959 2 February: Etienne Hirsch is elected president of the EURATOM Commission. 10–11 September: Piero Malvestiti is elected president of the ECSC High Authority. 18 September The European Court of Human Rights is established in Strasbourg, France.

1960 4 January: The Stockholm Convention is signed, establishing the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). 28 March: Hans Furler assumes the presidency of the European Parliamentary Assembly. 3 May: The EFTA comes into force.

1961 31 July: Ireland formally submits its application for membership in the European Community (EC). 9 August: The UK applies for membership in the EC. 10 August: Denmark applies for membership in the EC.

1962 10 January: Pierre Chatanet is elected president of the EURATOM Commission. 27–30 March: Gaetano Martino is elected president of the European Parliamentary Assembly. The European Parliamentary Assembly changes its name to the European Parliament (EP). 30 April: Norway formally submits its application for membership in the EC. 30 July: The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is adopted by the European Council, establishing a single market for agricultural products. 1 November: The association agreement between the EEC and Greece enters into force.

1963 14 January: French President Charles de Gaulle vetoes the UK’s first application for membership in the EC. 22 January: French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer sign the Treaty of the Elysée. 5 February: The ECJ makes its ruling in the Van Gend en Loos case, establishing the direct effect of EC law in the member states. 20 July: The members of the EC and 18 associated African states and Madagascar hold the first Yaoundé Convention. 8 October: Dino Del Bo is elected president of the ECSC High Authority.

1964 21 March: Jean-Pierre Duvieusart is elected president of the EP. 1 June: The Yaoundé Convention enters into force. 15 July: The ECJ makes its Costa/ENEL ruling, establishing the supremacy of EC law over national legislation. 1 December: The association agreement between the EEC and Turkey enters into force.

1965 2 March: Victor Leemans is elected president of the EP. 8 April: The Merger Treaty is signed by the six founding members, merging the institutions of the three European Communities. 1 July: The Empty Chair Crisis begins with the French government’s recall of its representatives to the EC institutions.

1966 28–29 January: Agreement is reached on the Luxembourg Compromise, resolving the Empty Chair Crisis. 7 March: Alain Pohler is elected president of the EP.

1967 11 May: The UK submits its second application for membership in the European Community (EC). 1 July: The Merger Treaty, combining the Commissions of the EEC and EURATOM with the ECSC’s High Authority enters into force. 6 July: The European Commission under the presidency of Jean Rey takes office.

1968 1 July: The common external tariff is established and the EC customs union begins operation.

1969 11 March: Mario Scelba assumes the presidency of the EP. 29 July: The second Yaoundé Convention is signed. 1–2 December: A Summit is held in The Hague where EC leaders advocate for increased political coordination between the EC member states.

1970 2 July: The European Commission under the presidency of Franco Maria Malfatti takes office. 27 October: The heads of state of the EC member states adopt the Davignon Report, which establishes the foundations of European Political Cooperation.

1971 1 January: The second Yaoundé Convention enters into force. 9 March: Walter Behrendt assumes the presidency of the EP. 22 March: The Council adopts the Werner Plan for economic and monetary union. 1 April: An association agreement between the EC and Malta enters into force.

1972 21 March: European Commission President Franco Maria Malfatti resigns. 22 March: Sicco Mansholt replaces Franco Maria Malfatti as president of the European Commission. 23 April: A referendum is held in which the French people vote in favor of Britain’s membership in the EC. 10 May: A referendum is held in Ireland and the people vote in favor of Irish EC membership. 24–25 September: A public referendum is held in which the Norwegian people vote against EC membership. 2 October: Denmark holds a referendum in which the majority vote in favor of Danish EC membership.

1973 1 January: Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom become EC member states. 6 January: François Xavier Ortoli assumes the office of the presidency of the European Commission. 13 March: Cornelis Berkhouwer is elected president of the EP. 1 June: An association agreement between the EC and Cyprus enters into force. 3–7 July: The opening session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) is held in Helsinki, Finland.

1974 9–10 December: The EC Heads of State and Government establish the European Council at the Paris Summit.

1975 28 February: The EC and 46 African–Caribbean–Pacific (ACP) states sign the first Lomé Convention in Lomé, Togo. 10–11 March: The first meeting of the European Council is held in Dublin, Ireland. 11 March: Georges Spénale is elected president of the EP. 5 June: Nearly two-and-a-half years after joining the EC, a referendum is held in the UK during the premiership of Harold Wilson in which the British people vote in favor of Britain’s continued EC membership. 1 August: The CSCE process is founded by the Helsinki Final Act. 12 July: Greece submits its application for membership in the EC.

1976 1 April: The first Lomé Convention enters into force.

1977 6 January: The European Commission under the presidency of Roy Jenkins takes office. 28 March: Portugal officially submits its application for membership in the EC. 28 July: Spain submits its application for membership in the EC. 25 October: The Court of Auditors begins operating in Luxembourg.

1979 20 February: The ECJ rules in the Cassis de Dijon case, reinforcing mutual recognition, which becomes an underlying principle of the single market. 13 March: The European Monetary System (EMS) enters into force. 7–10 June: The first direct elections for members of the European Parliament (EP) take place in the EC member states.

17 July: Simone Veil is elected president of the first directly elected EP. 31 October: The second Lomé Convention (Lomé II) is signed between the EC and ACP countries.

1981 1 January: Greece becomes an EC member state. 20 January: The European Commission under the presidency of Gaston Thorn takes office. 7 November: The Genscher–Colombo Plan, or Draft European Act, is introduced to increase EC institutional authority in the area of foreign policy.

1982 19 January: Piet Dankert is elected president of the EP.

1983 25 January: The Council adopts the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). 14 September: The Draft Treaty establishing the European Union is introduced in the EP by Altiero Spinelli.

1984 14 February: The Draft Treaty establishing the European Union proposed by the Institutional Affairs Committee of the EP is overwhelmingly passed by the EP (but ultimately rejected by the member states). 14 & 17 June: The second direct elections to the EP are held in the EC member states. 25–26 June: Agreement is reached on the British budgetary rebate at the Fountainebleau European Council meeting. 24 July: Pierre Pflimlin is elected president of the EP. 8 December: The third Lomé Convention is signed by the EC member states and the ACP countries.

1985 7 January: The European Commission under the presidency of Jacques Delors comes into office. 29–30 March: Agreement is reached on the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes (IMP) at the Brussels European Council meeting. 29–30 March: The Dooge Report on institutional reform is presented to the European Council. 28–29 June: The European Commission presents a White Paper on “Completing the Internal Market” to the European Council. 9 September: The IGC on the single market begins.

1986 1 January: Portugal and Spain become EC member states. 17 & 28 February: The Single European Act (SEA) is signed by the 12 EC member states. 1 May: The third Lomé Convention enters into force.

1987 20 January: Lord Henry Plumb is elected president of the EP. 14 April: The Turkish government officially submits an application to join the EC. 1 July: The SEA enters into force.

1988 27–28 June: During its meeting in Hanover, Germany, the European Council appoints Commission President Jacques Delors to head a committee charged with drafting a report on economic and monetary union.

1989 12 April: The Delors Committee submits its report on economic and monetary union. 15–18 June: The third direct elections to the EP are held. 27 June: The EC imposes an arms embargo on China following the human rights abuses and killings of the Tiananmen Square protests. 17 July: Austria submits its application for membership in the EC. 25 July: Enrique Barón Crespo is elected president of the EP. 1 September: The Court of First Instance of the European Communities is created. 9 November: The Berlin Wall begins to be torn down. 8–9 December: The Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers is adopted by 11 of the 12 EC member states (all except the UK). 15 December: The fourth Lomé Convention between the EC and ACP countries is signed. 21 December: The EC adopts the 1989 merger regulation.

1990 19 April: French President François Mitterrand and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl co-author a letter to the president of the European Council in support of increased European efforts toward constructing a European Political Union. 3 July: Cyprus submits its application for membership in the EC. 16 July: Malta submits its original application for membership in the EC. 3 October: The reunification of east and west Germany is complete with the election of Helmut Kohl as the first chancellor of the reunified Federal Republic of Germany. 8 October: The UK joins the exchange rate mechanism (ERM) of the EMS. 14–15 December: The IGC on economic and monetary union and the IGC on political union begin.

1991 14 April: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development begins operations. 1 July: Sweden formally submits its application for membership in the EC. 1 September: The fourth Lomé Convention enters into force. 9–10 December: A European Council meeting is held in Maastricht during which they approve the Treaty on European Union (TEU). 16 December: Europe Agreements are signed by the EU, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.

1992 14 January: Egon Klepsch is elected president of the EP. 7 February: The TEU is signed in Maastricht, the Netherlands. 18 March: Finland submits its application for membership in the EC. 20 May: The Swiss government applies for membership in the EC. 21 May: The Council agrees to the MacSharry reforms to the CAP. 2 June: In a national referendum, Danish voters reject the TEU. 18 June: Irish citizens vote to approve ratification of the TEU in a national referendum. 19 June: The Council of Ministers of the WEU adopts the Peters-berg Declaration, outlining the tasks in which they would become militarily involved. 16 September: Known as “Black Wednesday,” Italy and the UK are forced to withdraw from the ERM. 20 September: A national referendum is held in France in which the citizens vote in favor of ratifying the TEU. 25 November: Norway submits its official application for membership in the EC. 6 December: Swiss citizens reject ratification of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement in a national referendum.

1993 1 January: The EC’s single market becomes fully operational. 1 January: The Czechoslovak Federation is dissolved and replaced by the sovereign independent Czech and Slovak Republics. 2 May: The EEA agreement is signed. 18 May: After negotiating opt-outs in several issue areas, in a second national referendum held on the subject, the Danes approve of the TEU. 21–22 June: The Copenhagen European Council agrees that all Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) that so desire shall become members of the European Union (EU), subject to fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria. 1 November: The TEU enters into force.

1994 1 January: The second stage of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) begins, including the creation of the European Monetary Institute (EMI). 1 January: The EEA agreement enters into force. 9–10 March: The Committee of the Regions begins operations. 29 March: The foreign ministers of the EU agree to the Ioannina Compromise on qualified majority voting following the 1995 enlargement. 31 March: Hungary is the first former Soviet bloc country to apply for membership in the EU. 5 April: Poland submits its application for membership in the EU. 19 April: The Council agrees to a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Joint Action in support of the Middle East Peace Process. 9–12 June: The fourth direct elections to the EP are held. 12 June: The citizens of Austria vote in favor of EU membership in a national referendum. 14 June: A Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) is signed between the EU and Ukraine. 19 July: Klaus Hänsch is elected president of the EP. 16 October: In a national referendum, Finnish citizens vote in favor of joining the EU. 13 November: The Swedish government holds a national referendum in which the majority of the voting citizens approve of membership in the EU. 28 November: Moldova and the EU sign a PCA. 28 November: Norwegian voters reject EU membership in a public referendum. 9–10 December: The Essen European Council agrees to the pre-accession strategy for the CEECs.

1995 1 January: Austria, Finland, and Sweden become EU member states. 1 January: The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established. 24 January: The European Commission under the presidency of Jacques Santer takes office. 26 March: The Schengen Agreement between Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain enters into force. 12 June: Europe Agreements are signed by the EU and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 22 June: Romania submits its application for membership in the EU. 27 June: Slovakia submits its application for membership in the EU. 26 July: The EUROPOL Convention is signed by the EU member states. 13 October: Latvia submits its application for membership in the EU. 24 November: Estonia submits its application for membership in the EU. 27–28 November: The Barcelona Declaration is adopted at a conference between the EU and Mediterranean foreign ministers, launching the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership. 30 November: The Eurocorps becomes operational. 3 December: The New Transatlantic Agenda is signed at the EU–U.S. Summit in Madrid. 8 December: Lithuania submits its application for membership in the EU. 14 December: The Dayton peace accords for cease fire and the stipulation of the boundaries and political system of Bosnia-Herzegovina are signed. 14 December: Bulgaria submits its application for membership in the EU.

1996 17 January: The Czech Republic submits its application for membership in the EU. 1–2 March: The first EU–Asia Summit is held in Bangkok, Thailand. 26 March: The EU imposes a ban on British beef in an effort to prevent the spread of mad cow disease. 29 March: The IGC begins to discuss reforms to the TEU. 22 April: PCAs are signed by the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. 10 June: Slovenia submits an application for membership in the EU.

1997 14 January: José María Gil-Robles is elected president of the EP. 15–16 April: The second Euro–Mediterranean Conference is held in Malta. 2 October: The Treaty of Amsterdam is signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 15 EU member states. 11 December: The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is adopted.

1998 1 February: Europe Agreements between the EU and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania enters into force. 1 March: The PCA between the EU and Ukraine enters into force. 3–4 April: The second EU–Asia Summit is held in London. 1 June: The European Central Bank (ECB) is established and replaces the EMI to manage the euro and the common monetary policy. Wim Duisenberg takes office as the first president of the ECB. 1 July: The PCA between the EU and Moldova enters into force. 17 July: The Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court (ICC) is adopted. 4 December: The Saint-Malo Declaration by French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair calls for an autonomous EU defense force for crisis management.

1999 1 January: Stage III of EMU begins; the euro is introduced as the common currency for 11 of the EU member states. 1 January: The ERM II becomes operational. 15 March: The Santer Commission resigns en masse after the publication of the negative report by the EP’s Committee of Independent Experts. 24–25 March: The European Council reaches agreement on Agenda 2000. 15–16 April: The third Euro–Mediterranean Conference is held in Stuttgart, Germany. 23 April: The Council adopts a common position banning the sale of petroleum and petroleum products to the Former Yugoslavia. 26 April: The Council adopts a joint action to support refugees and displaced persons in the Western Balkan countries. 1 May: The Treaty of Amsterdam enters into force. 1 June: The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) begins operations. 3–4 June: A European Council meeting is held in Cologne, Germany, during which agreement is reached on a common EU defense strategy, based on the development of a European Security and Defence Policy. Javier Solana is designated as the first High Representative of the CFSP. 10 June: The EU becomes responsible for the reconstruction and economic pillar of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK). 10–13 June: EP elections are held in the EU member states. 21–22 June: Agenda 2000 is adopted by the Council. 28–29 June: The first EU–Latin America–Caribbean Summit takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 20 July: Nicole Fontaine is elected president of the EP. 15 September: The European Commission under the presidency of Romano Prodi takes office. 10–11 December: The Helsinki European Council officially recognizes Turkey as a candidate country.

2000 4 February: The ascent of a coalition government in Austria including the far-right Freedom Party led by Jörg Haider results in the other 14 EU member states imposing diplomatic sanctions on Austria. 14 February: The IGC to discuss treaty and institutional reforms begins. 23–34 March: The Lisbon Strategy is adopted by the European Council. 23 June: Representatives of the EU member states and the ACP countries sign the new ACP-EU (Cotonou) Agreement. 28 September: A referendum is held in Denmark in which voters reject the adoption of the euro as their national currency. 20–21 October: The third EU–Asia Summit is held in Seoul, South Korea. 15–16 November: The fourth Euro–Mediterranean Conference is held in Marseilles, France. 7–9 December: At a European Council meeting, the heads of state and government reach agreement on the Treaty of Nice.

2001 1 January: Greece joins Stage III of EMU. 1 January: The European Commission inaugurates the EuropeAid Cooperation Office. 26 February: The Treaty of Nice is signed. 9 April: The EU and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement. 7 June: Irish voters reject ratification of the Treaty of Nice in a public referendum. 20 July: The European Union Satellite Centre is created. 20 July: The European Union Institute for Security Studies is created. 29 October: Croatia and the EU sign a stabilization and cooperation agreement. 11 December: China becomes a member of the WTO. 14–15 December: European Council held in Laeken, Belgium, adopts a declaration on the future of the EU, and opens way for the preparation of a European constitutional treaty.

2002 1 January: Euro notes and coins are introduced into circulation in the euro zone. 15 January: Pat Cox is elected president of the EP. 28 February: The European Convention is inaugurated to debate the future of Europe. 1 March: The euro completely replaces national currencies and becomes the only legal tender of the euro zone. 26 March: The Galileo satellite radio navigation system project is launched. 7 April: Eurojust becomes operational. 17–18 May: The second EU–Latin America–Caribbean Summit is held in Madrid, Spain. 31 May: The Kyoto Protocol is ratified by the EU. 22 June: The EU establishes its position with regard to the settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in its Seville Declaration. 1 July: The Rome Statute creating the ICC goes into effect. 23 July: The 1951 Treaty of Paris creating the ECSC expires. 19 October: Irish voters approve the Treaty of Nice in a second referendum on this issue. 12–13 December: Accession negotiations are concluded with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and the Copenhagen European Council welcomes them to join the EU on 1 May 2004.

2003 1 January: A new CFP is adopted. 15 January: The first EU Police Mission begins in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 1 February: The Treaty of Nice enters into force. 21 February: Croatia submits its application for membership in the EU. 8 March: The citizens of Malta vote in favor of EU accession in a public referendum. 17 March: Berlin Plus is adopted and enters into force. 23 March: The Slovenian government holds a national referendum in which the citizens vote in favor of joining the EU. 1 April: The Cotonou Agreement enters into force. 12 April: In a national referendum Hungarian citizens vote in favor of EU accession. 10–11 May: A national referendum is held on EU membership in Lithuania and the citizens vote in favor of joining the Union. 16–17 May: The Slovakian government holds a national referendum on joining the EU and the citizens vote in favor of membership. 7–8 June: The citizens of Poland vote in favor of EU accession in a public referendum. 13–14 June: The government of the Czech Republic holds a referendum on joining the EU and the citizens vote in favor of membership. 16 June: The Council adopts a common position on the ICC. 19–20 June: The European Convention submits a draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe to the European Council in Thessaloniki, Greece. 20 June: The European Council agrees to the potential future membership of the Western Balkan countries on condition of economic, political, and judicial reforms. 14 September: Voters reject the adoption of the euro in a referendum held in Sweden. 14 September: Estonian citizens vote in favor of EU membership in a national referendum. 20 September: Latvian citizens vote in favor of EU membership in a national referendum. 4 October: The ICG on the draft constitutional treaty begins in Rome. 1 November: Jean-Claude Trichet succeeds Wim Duisenberg as the president of the ECB. 12 December: The European Council adopts the European Security Strategy.

2004 1 January: The European Arrest Warrant enters into force. 11 March: Al-Qaeda attacks Madrid, killing hundreds and wounding thousands. 22 March: The FYROM applies for membership in the EU. 25 March: Gijs de Vries is appointed as the first counter-terrorism coordinator of the EU by the European Council. 16 April: The Treaties of Accession are signed by the EU and Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. 24 April: Referendums are held on the UN reunification plan for Cyprus. 1 May: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia become member states of the EU in the largest enlargement in EU history. 28–29 May: The third EU–Latin American–Caribbean Summit is held in Guadalajara, Mexico. 10–13 June: EP elections are held for the first time for an EU of 25 member states. 18 June: Croatia is granted official candidacy status at the European Council meeting. 29 June: The European Council reappoints Javier Solana as the High Representative of the CFSP. 12 July: The European Council adopts a Joint Action to establish a European Defense Agency. 20 July: Josep Borrell Fontelles is elected president of the EP. 11 October: The EU and Tajikistan sign a PCA. 26 October: President-elect of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, withdraws his proposal for the College of Commissioners scheduled to take office on 1 November 2004. 29 October: The Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe is signed in Rome, Italy. 11 November: The Lithuanian Parliament approves the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. 22 November: The Barroso Commission assumes office. 2 December: The EU replaces NATO as the primary peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 16–17 December: The European Council agrees to begin accession negotiations with Turkey in 2005. 20 December: The Hungarian Parliament approves the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.