EMU Story

The Commission's role

• How the idea of EMU was developed in the Treaties
   
• The original Treaty provisions
• First revision:
  Luxembourg 1986
• Second revision:
  Maastricht 1991
• Third revision:
  Amsterdam 1997
• Fourth revision:
  Nice 2000
• Debate about the
  Future of Europe
   
• The three attempts to create a single currency in Europe
   
• First attempt
• Second attempt
• Third attempt
• Preparations for introducing 
  the single currency
  
  
   

• The Commission, an active player from the beginning

• The Commission's task in EMU

• The Commission's role in European integration

• EMU as a permanent challenge for the European Commission

• Selected documents:
  From the idea of a common
  currency to the Treaty of Maastricht (Historical documentation)

• 1929-67: The idea of a common
  currency in Europe
• 1968-69: Run-up to the Barre Plan
• 1969-70: Preparing the Den Haag summit
• 1970-70: The Commission's mandate to
  draw up the first plan for EMU
• 1970-70: Preparing the Werner Report
• 1971-73: The need for a European
  Monetary System
• 1973-75: The period of discussion
  about the European unit of account
• 1975-77: Period of intensive studies
• 1977-78: Revival of the idea of EMU
• 1978-78: The need to coordinate economic policies
• 1978-81: Discussions about the European
  Monetary System
• 1981-88: The ECU at the centre of discussion
• 1989-91: Run-up to the Maastricht Treaty
• 1991-2002: (planned phase II) From the Maastricht Treaty to the introduction of the euro bank notes and coins
   

• Chronology of decisions (1960 - 2002)

• The run-up to the Barre plan
  (1960 - 1969)

• The first plans by stages for EMU
  (1969 - 1971)

• From the floating USD to the EMS
   (1971 - 1975)

• The need to coordinate economic policies (1975 - 1980)

• The ECU in the centre of discussion: (1980 - 1988) 

• The run-up to the Maastricht Treaty (1988 - 1991)

• Work within the first phase of EMU (1992 - 1993)

• Work within the second phase of EMU (1994 - 1998)

• The start of the Euro area (1999 - 2000)

• The enlargement of the euro area (2001 - 2002)

• Present legal provisions of EMU and the Euro
• Former  legal  reference texts
   

Practical guide to EMU

• Abbreviations

• Facts and Figures

• Material for conferences
   and seminars

• Useful links to EMU and Euro web-sites

• Editorial remarks
• Introduction