1929 Event Contemporary period Vatican City
Lateran Accords
Vatican City State is created; the Roman question is closed.
A shared history
European construction did not begin in 1950. This thread links the ancient inheritance, the Judeo-Christian matrix and the contemporary Union.
326
events
3600 BC
earliest marker
46
countries covered
0
already discussed
Event density
One century per bar before 1500, one decade after: archives are not evenly spread.
1920 :
1 event
1930 :
3 events
1940 :
10 events
1950 :
7 events
1960 :
10 events
1970 :
10 events
1980 :
15 events
1990 :
29 events
2000 :
17 events
2010 :
10 events
2020 :
16 events
Ancient Greece
Early Middle Ages
Renaissance
Enlightenment
Concert of Europe
European integration
Rome
High and Late Middle Ages
Reformation and wars of religion
Age of revolutions
World wars
Cold War
1920
1974
2029
128 events
1925 1949
World wars 14 events1932 Disaster Contemporary period Ukraine
Holodomor
The famine engineered by Stalin kills millions; several states recognise it as genocide.
1939 War Contemporary period Poland
Invasion and occupation
Invaded by Germany then the USSR, Poland loses nearly a fifth of its population.
1939 War Contemporary period Finland
Winter War
Facing Soviet invasion, Finnish resistance saves independence at the cost of Karelia.
1941 War Contemporary period Belarus
Occupation and destruction
A quarter of the population perishes; hundreds of villages are razed.
1942 Event Contemporary period Malta
George Cross
King George VI decorates the entire island for its endurance under bombardment.
1943 Event Contemporary period Bulgaria
Rescue of the Bulgarian Jews
Under pressure from the Orthodox Church and parliamentarians, deportation is cancelled.
1943 Event Contemporary period Denmark
Rescue of the Danish Jews
In a few nights, more than 7,000 Jews are evacuated to neutral Sweden.
1944 Event Contemporary period Iceland
Proclamation of the Republic in Iceland
On 17 June, at Þingvellir, Iceland breaks the link with the Danish crown.
1944 Event Contemporary period San Marino
Sheltering refugees
The neutral republic houses more than 100,000 people, ten times its population.
1944 Event Contemporary period Netherlands
Benelux customs union
Signed in London by the governments in exile, it prefigures the common market.
1944 War Contemporary period Slovakia
Slovak National Uprising
One of the largest armed revolts against the Axis in occupied Europe.
1949 Text Contemporary period Germany
Bonn Basic Law
“Human dignity shall be inviolable”: Article 1 places the person — a Christian and humanist legacy — at the summit of the legal order.
1949 Institution European construction
Council of Europe
Ten states found in London the first European political organisation, matrix of the Convention on Human Rights.
1950 1974
European integration 24 events1950 Text European construction
Schuman Declaration
On 9 May France proposes placing coal and steel under a common authority. Community Europe is born of a material pooling.
1951 Treaty European construction
Treaty of Paris — ECSC
Six states create the European Coal and Steel Community, the continent’s first supranational institution.
1952 War European construction Luxembourg
Seat of the High Authority
Europe’s first supranational institution settles in Luxembourg.
1955 Treaty Contemporary period Austria
Austrian State Treaty
The four powers withdraw; Austria proclaims perpetual neutrality.
1956 War Contemporary period Hungary
Budapest uprising
The revolt is crushed by the Red Army; 200,000 Hungarians go into exile.
1957 Event European construction
Treaties of Rome
The EEC and Euratom are established; the common market and the four freedoms are laid down.
1957 Text European construction Belgium
The Spaak Report
Belgian Paul-Henri Spaak drafts the preparatory text of the Treaties of Rome.
1960 Event Contemporary period Cyprus
Independence of Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus is born of a compromise between Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
1962 Religion Contemporary period Vatican City
Second Vatican Council
The Church reforms its liturgy and redefines its relations with the modern world and Judaism.
1963 Treaty European construction France
Élysée Treaty
De Gaulle and Adenauer seal Franco-German reconciliation, the institutional engine of integration.
1963 Treaty European construction Türkiye
Ankara Agreement
Association with the EEC explicitly envisages an accession perspective.
1963 Text European construction
Van Gend en Loos judgment
The Court of Justice asserts direct effect: Community law creates rights for citizens themselves.
1964 Event Contemporary period Malta
Independence of Malta
Malta leaves the British Empire and becomes a republic ten years later.
1967 Event Contemporary period Albania
Religion banned
Albania proclaims itself the world’s first atheist state; churches and mosques are closed.
1968 Event Contemporary period Czechia
Prague Spring
“Socialism with a human face” is crushed by Warsaw Pact tanks in August.
1968 Event European construction
Customs union
Internal tariffs disappear eighteen months ahead of schedule.
1969 Discovery Contemporary period Norway
Discovery of Ekofisk
North Sea oil transforms the economy and founds the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund.
1973 Event European construction Denmark
Accession of Denmark to the Communities
The first Nordic member, Denmark enters alongside the United Kingdom and Ireland.
1973 Event European construction Ireland
Accession of Ireland to the Communities
Ireland joins with the United Kingdom and begins its economic transformation.
1973 Event European construction United Kingdom
Accession of the United Kingdom to the Communities
After two French vetoes, the United Kingdom enters the EEC with Denmark and Ireland.
1973 Event European construction
First enlargement
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join the Communities, which grow from six to nine.
1974 Event Contemporary period Portugal
Carnation Revolution
On 25 April an almost bloodless military coup restores democracy.
1974 Event Contemporary period Cyprus
Division of the island
The coup and Turkish intervention cut Cyprus in two; the Green Line crosses Nicosia.
1974 Event Contemporary period Kosovo
Constitutional autonomy
The Yugoslav constitution grants Kosovo near-republican attributes.
1975 1999
European integration 47 events1975 Treaty European construction Finland
Helsinki Final Act
Thirty-five states sign a text placing human rights at the heart of détente.
1978 Text Contemporary period Spain
Democratic constitution of Spain
Three years after Franco, Spain adopts a parliamentary monarchy and a state of autonomies.
1979 Event European construction
First European elections
For the first time citizens directly elect their MEPs; Simone Veil chairs the assembly.
1980 Event Contemporary period Poland
Solidarity
At the Gdańsk shipyards the Soviet bloc’s first free trade union is born. Communism loses its workers’ legitimacy.
1980 Event Contemporary period Iceland
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Iceland elects the world’s first woman head of state by direct universal suffrage.
1981 Event European construction Greece
Accession of Greece to the Communities
As the tenth member, Greece anchors its restored democracy in Community Europe.
1984 Event Contemporary period Liechtenstein
Women’s suffrage
The last country in Europe to grant it, by a male-only referendum.
1985 Treaty European construction
Schengen Agreement
Five states sign on the Moselle an agreement progressively abolishing internal border controls.
1986 Event European construction Spain
Accession of Spain to the Communities
With Portugal, Spain joins the EEC: southern enlargement consecrates democratisation.
1986 Event European construction Portugal
Accession of Portugal to the Communities
Portugal joins the EEC on the same day as Spain and begins rapid economic catch-up.
1986 Disaster Contemporary period Belarus
Chernobyl fallout
Nearly 70 % of the radioactive fallout lands on Belarusian territory.
1986 Treaty European construction
Single European Act
The internal market is scheduled for 1993 and qualified majority voting extended.
1988 Event Contemporary period Estonia
Singing Revolution
Three hundred thousand Estonians sing banned anthems together: dissent becomes massive.
1989 Event Contemporary period Romania
December revolution
The only violent fall of a European communist regime; Ceaușescu is executed on 25 December.
1989 Event Contemporary period Czechia
Velvet Revolution
In a few weeks and without violence the regime falls; Václav Havel becomes president.
1989 Event European construction Hungary
Pan-European Picnic
On 19 August Hungary opens its border with Austria: the first breach in the Iron Curtain.
1989 Event Contemporary period Lithuania
Baltic Way
Two million people form a human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius.
1989 Event European construction
Fall of the Berlin Wall
9 November opens German reunification and, in time, that of the continent.
1990 Event Contemporary period Germany
German reunification
A year after the Wall fell, the five eastern Länder join the Federal Republic and the European Community.
1990 Event Contemporary period Lithuania
Independence restored
On 11 March Lithuania is the first republic to leave the USSR.
1991 Event Contemporary period Croatia
Independence of Croatia
The declaration of 25 June opens four years of war on Croatian territory.
1991 War Contemporary period Slovenia
Ten-Day War
Slovenia leaves Yugoslavia after the shortest of the decade’s conflicts.
1991 Event Contemporary period Latvia
Independence of Latvia restored
After the Singing Revolution, Latvia regains its sovereignty.
1991 Event Contemporary period Estonia
Independence of Estonia restored
On 20 August Estonia again proclaims its sovereignty.
1991 Event Contemporary period Ukraine
Independence of Ukraine
More than 90 % of voters approve leaving the USSR on 1 December.
1991 Event Contemporary period Albania
End of the communist regime
After forty-seven years of isolation, pluralism is restored.
1991 Event Contemporary period North Macedonia
Peaceful independence
The only Yugoslav republic to separate without war.
1991 Event Contemporary period Moldova
Independence of Moldova
The republic proclaims sovereignty on 27 August, days after the Moscow putsch.
1991 Event Contemporary period Belarus
Independence of Belarus
The Belavezha Accords, signed in Belarus, formalise the dissolution of the USSR.
1992 War Contemporary period Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian War
The siege of Sarajevo lasts 1,425 days; Srebrenica is recognised as genocide.
1992 Treaty European construction
Maastricht Treaty
The European Union is created, with European citizenship and the timetable for the single currency.
1992 Event European construction Switzerland
Rejection of the EEA
The people reject the European Economic Area; the bilateral path prevails.
1992 Event Contemporary period Moldova
Transnistria conflict
A ceasefire freezes a de facto secession that has lasted more than thirty years.
1993 Text Contemporary period Andorra
Democratic constitution of Andorra
Andorra becomes a sovereign state under the rule of law and joins the UN the same year.
1993 Event Contemporary period Slovakia
Independence of Slovakia
On 1 January the Slovak Republic is born of a negotiated, peaceful separation.
1993 Event Contemporary period Belgium
Federal Belgium
The fourth state reform enshrines in the Constitution a federal state of communities and regions.
1993 Event Contemporary period Czechia Slovakia
Velvet Divorce
Czechia and Slovakia separate peacefully on 1 January, a rare case in Europe.
1994 Event European construction Norway
Second rejection of membership
52.2 % of Norwegians reject Union entry; the EEA takes over.
1995 Event Contemporary period Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dayton Accords
Peace establishes a two-entity state whose architecture still governs the country.
1995 Event European construction Sweden
Accession of Sweden to the Union
With Austria and Finland, Sweden joins the EU; it will reject the euro by referendum in 2003.
1995 Event European construction Liechtenstein
EEA accession
The principality joins the European internal market without entering the Union.
1995 Event European construction Austria
Accession of Austria to the Union
Austria joins the EU by referendum and becomes a pivot towards Central Europe.
1995 Event European construction
Nordic enlargement
Austria, Finland and Sweden bring the Union to fifteen members.
1998 Treaty Contemporary period Ireland
Good Friday Agreement
Thirty years of conflict end; the Irish border becomes invisible.
1999 War Contemporary period Kosovo
NATO intervention
After months of conflict, the territory passes under United Nations administration.
1999 Treaty European construction Türkiye
Candidate status for Türkiye
The Helsinki European Council recognises Türkiye as a candidate country.
1999 Event European construction
Birth of the euro
Eleven currencies are irrevocably fixed; the European Central Bank takes up its functions.
2000 2024
European integration 39 events2002 Event European construction
Euro notes and coins
Three hundred million Europeans change currency on 1 January.
2002 Event European construction Montenegro
Unilateral euro adoption
Without being in the euro area, the country makes the euro its official currency.
2002 Treaty Contemporary period Monaco France
Friendship treaty with France
The text modernises the bilateral relationship and secures dynastic succession.
2004 Event European construction
The big bang enlargement
Ten states, eight of them formerly communist, join the Union: the continent’s division ends.
2004 Event European construction Poland
Accession of Poland to the Union
With nine other states, Poland joins the EU: the political reunification of the continent.
2004 Event European construction Slovenia
Accession of Slovenia to the Union
The only former Yugoslav republic in the great enlargement of 2004.
2004 Event European construction Cyprus
Accession of Cyprus to the Union
Cyprus joins the EU; the acquis remains suspended in the northern part of the island.
2004 Event European construction Malta
Accession of Malta to the Union
The smallest member state joins the EU and adopts the euro four years later.
2005 Discovery Contemporary period Estonia
First national online vote
Estonia becomes the first country in the world to hold elections over the internet.
2006 Event Contemporary period Montenegro
Independence referendum
55.5 % of voters choose separation from Serbia.
2007 Event European construction Romania
Accession of Romania to the Union
With Bulgaria, Romania joins the EU and becomes its eastern frontier on the Black Sea.
2007 Event European construction Slovenia
Euro adoption in Slovenia
The first of the 2004 new member states to join the single currency.
2008 Text Contemporary period Kosovo
Declaration of independence
On 17 February Pristina proclaims independence; recognition remains partial.
2008 Disaster Contemporary period Iceland
Banking collapse
The three big banks fail; the crisis leads to an EU application, withdrawn in 2015.
2008 Event European construction Switzerland
Schengen entry
Without Union membership, Switzerland abolishes its border controls.
2009 Treaty European construction
Treaty of Lisbon
The Charter of Fundamental Rights becomes binding; Parliament becomes a full co-legislator.
2009 Event European construction Slovakia
Euro adoption in Slovakia
The first Visegrád economy to join the euro area.
2010 Disaster European construction
Sovereign debt crisis
The euro area urgently creates unprecedented financial solidarity mechanisms.
2011 Treaty European construction Andorra
Monetary agreement with the EU
The principality is authorised to mint its own euro coins.
2012 Treaty European construction Serbia
Candidate status for Serbia
Serbia becomes a Union candidate; negotiations open in 2014.
2013 Event Contemporary period Ukraine
Euromaidan
The refusal to sign the EU association agreement triggers months of protest.
2013 Event European construction Croatia
Accession of Croatia to the Union
As the twenty-eighth member state, Croatia is the first Western Balkan country to enter.
2014 Event European construction Latvia
Euro adoption in Latvia
The lats gives way to the euro five years after one of Europe’s severest financial crises.
2015 Disaster European construction
Migration crisis
More than a million asylum seekers arrive in a single year; Schengen is put to the test.
2016 Event European construction
British referendum
51.9 % of voters choose to leave the Union: a first in the history of European construction.
2017 Event Contemporary period Montenegro
NATO accession of Montenegro
The country joins the Alliance despite strong internal opposition.
2018 Treaty European construction North Macedonia Greece
Prespa Agreement
The compromise with Greece over the name unlocks thirty years of diplomatic deadlock.
2020 Event European construction United Kingdom
Brexit
On 31 January the United Kingdom becomes the first state to leave the European Union.
2020 Event Contemporary period Belarus
2020 protests
Contestation of the presidential election is repressed; the EU does not recognise the result.
2020 Event European construction
NextGenerationEU
Facing the pandemic, the Union borrows 750 billion jointly: a major break in its budgetary workings.
2020 Event Contemporary period North Macedonia
NATO accession of North Macedonia
The country becomes the 30th member of the Atlantic Alliance.
2022 Treaty European construction Ukraine
Candidate status for Ukraine
Four months after the Russian invasion began, the European Council grants candidate status.
2022 War European construction
War in Ukraine
The Russian invasion brings sanctions, the reception of millions of refugees and candidacies from Ukraine and Moldova.
2022 Treaty European construction Moldova
Candidate status for Moldova
On 23 June Moldova becomes a Union candidate at the same time as Ukraine.
2022 Event European construction Albania
Opening of negotiations
Union accession talks open, jointly with North Macedonia.
2023 Event Contemporary period Finland
NATO accession of Finland
On 4 April Finland doubles the Alliance’s land border with Russia.
2023 Event European construction Croatia
Euro and Schengen
On 1 January Croatia joins the single currency and the free movement area on the same day.
2024 Event Contemporary period Sweden
NATO accession of Sweden
On 7 March Sweden becomes the 32nd ally, ending two centuries of neutrality.
2024 Event European construction
2024 European elections
720 members are elected in 27 states; the right and sovereignist groups gain ground.
2025 2049
European integration 4 events2025 Event European construction Romania
Full Schengen entry
Land border controls are lifted on 1 January, thirteen years after the first application.
2025 Event European construction
Schengen at 29
The area has twenty-nine members: twenty-five Union states and four EFTA neighbours. Two member states remain outside — Ireland, by choice, and Cyprus, which has yet to join.
2026 Event European construction Bulgaria
Euro adoption in Bulgaria
On 1 January the lev gives way to the euro: Bulgaria becomes the area’s 21st member.
2026 Event European construction
Euro area at 21
Twenty-one of the twenty-seven member states now share the currency. Of the six outside, only Denmark holds an opt-out: the other five are legally bound to join, with no deadline.