THE CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND TURKEY – EU RELATIONS
1949-1969
09 May 1949Schuman Declaration: French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, proposed integrating the coal and steel industries of France, West Germany and other EU countries that wish to join.
18 April 1951France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Paris Treaty and established the European Coal and Steel Community.
27 May 1952 Six States signed the European Defence Community (EDC) Agreement.
27 July1952ECSC became operative.
30 August 1954 French National Assembly refused to join EDC.
20 October 1954Western European Union was founded.
01- 02 June 1955 Foreign Ministers of the six states agreed on economic integration, in Messina (Italy).
29 May 1956 In Venice Meeting, foreign ministers of six states decided to start intergovernmental negotiations in order to establish the European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community.
25 March 1957Six states signed the Rome Treaties and founded the European Economic Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).
01 January 1958TheRome Treaties became operative, EEC and Euratom Commissions established in Brussels.
19 March 1958Common Assembly of ECSC, EEC and Euratom choose Robert Schuman as the president.
03- 11 July 1958In Stresa Conference (Italy), establishment of the Common Agricultural Policy started.
01 January 1959Gradually, customs reduction and elimination of the quotas started within EEC.
08 June 1959Greece applied for admission to EEC.
31 July 1959Turkey applied for admission to EEC.
11 September 1959EEC’s Council of Ministers accepted the applications of Greece and Turkey.
28- 30 September 1959First preparatory negotiation between EEC and Turkey.
November 1959The Action Committee for the United States of Europe gathered under the presidency of Jean Monnet. A report was prepared in order to form the European Monetary Policy and introduced the main features of Economic and Monetary Union.
01- 02 March 1960EEC accepted to start the partnership negotiations with Greece.
17 March 1960Turkey gave a memorandum to Ankara ambassadors of EEC countries stating that Turkey should not be left behind while negotiations have started with Greece.
21 April 1960EEC Commission stated that Turkey would not be able to assume serious obligations like Greece.
03 May 1960Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdomsigned the Stockholm Convention and established the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
11 May 1960European Social Fund established.
27 May 1960Turkish army started to govern the country after a coup d’etat. Turkey- EU relations were freezed.
14 October 1960Turkey declared that she is ready to take all responsibilities in order to sign an agreement as soon as possible. New government, founded after May 27, offered to make the same agreement between Greece and EEC.
17 October 1960The EEC Council of Ministers declared that waiting would be more suitable and they postponed all the future negotiations.
06 March 1961Greece completed the negotiations and initialized the Partnership Treaty with EEC.
20- 21 March 1961The EEC Council of Ministers took into account the suggestion of the commission and made an offer to Turkey with two options. First option was to sign a Trade Treaty and to sign the Customs Union Treaty when Turkish Economy reached a satisfactory level. Second option was to make an Aid Treaty.
09 July 1961Greece- EEC Partnership Treaty (Athens Treaty) was signed.
31 July - 10 August1961Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom applied for full membership to European Community.
21 August 1961Turkey sent a memorandum to EEC capitals. Turkey protested that EEC has agreed with Greece but still hasn’t started the negotiations with Turkey. Turkey stated that she would not accept any model other that Customs Union.
14 January 1962By the establishment of the single market for agricultural products, Common Agricultural Policy was determined.
04- 05 March 1962Turkey gave a memorandum to EEC and invited EEC to official negotiations. Turkey repeated the aim of performing the Customs Union.
30 April 1962Norway applied to EEC for full membership.
01 September 1962First regulation for free circulation of employees from EEC member states, came into force for the first time.
14 January 1963French Prime Minister De Gaulle declared that he was suspicious about the United Kingdom’s political will of entering the Community. Next, negotiations with candidate states postponed.
09 May 1963The EEC Council of Ministers decided to open a 175 million dollars credit for Turkey.
20 July 1963The Community and 17 African states signed the Yaoundé Convention that forms a partnership for five years.
24 July 1963The EEC Council decided to start the official negotiations with Turkey in order to support the democratization process in Turkey.
12 September 1963Partnership Treaty (Ankara Treaty) that will take Turkey to the Customs Union with EEC and in the distant future to full membership.1st Fiscal Protocol, that supplies Turkey 175 million dollars credit was signed.
01 November 1963Greece- EEC Partnership Treaty came into action.
04 May 1964The Community attended the Kennedy Round of GATT (The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) commercial negotiations.
01 December 1964Turkey- EEC Partnership Treaty came into force.
08 April 1965Executive branches of EEC, ECSC and Euratom joined by signing the Merger Treaty.
01 July 1965France resigned from the financial negotiations of the Common Agricultural Policy. French government called the representative and the French Delegation back. France also declared that she would not attend the Council and COROPER meetings.
28-29 January 1966Parties agreed on the Luxembourg Settlement and France returned to the Council. Important decisions would be taken with consensus.
16-17 May 19661st Turkey- EEC Joint Parliamentary Commission gathered in Brussels.
21 April 1967Greek army started to govern the country after a coup d’etat. EEC freezed the Athens Treaty.
11 May 1967The United Kingdom applied to the Community again, Ireland, Denmark and Norway followed.
16 May 1967At the 5th Partnership Council meeting in Brussels, Turkey declared the wish of starting the second stage of the agreement. But EEC stated that the period hasn’t finished yet.
01 July 1967The Merger Treaty came into action. By the way, executive branches of EEC, ECSC and Euratom joined.
04 September 1967Maltese government required to start negotiations in order to build relations with EEC.
05 April 1968Turkey required starting the 2nd stage of the Turkey- EEC partnership.
29 April 1968In an official report, EEC Commission stated that it would be better to sustain the preparatory period of Turkey.
01 July 1968EEC started to implement common customs tariff.
09 December 1968Turkey- EECAdditional Protocol meetings have started.
01- 02 December 1969At the meeting in The Hague, presidents and prime ministers of the member states gave decisions about the Common Agricultural Policy and the resources of the community. They also decided to strengthen thebudget authorizations of the Parliament.
01 July 19702ndYaoundé Convention and the Arusha Treaties came into force.
22 July 1970Additional Protocol that includes the necessities of the process of transition was accepted.
23 July1970Agreement of the Additional Protocol within the province of ECSC was signed.
30 July 1970Membership negotiations with Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom started.
05 August 1970Cyprus required starting the negotiations with EEC for the membership treaty.
26 October 1970First Customs Cooperation Committee between EEC and Turkey met.
27 October 1970Davignon Report about political cooperation was accepted and the aim of Europe was stated as answering important international questions in agreement.
19 November 1970The Additional Protocol was accepted in the Partnership Council.
23 November 1970The Additional Protocol and the 2ndFiscal Protocol that provides Turkey 220 million Euros credit for the years between 1971 and 1976 was signed.
05 December 1970Partnership Treaty between EEC and Malta was signed.
22 March 1971The council accepted the Werner Plan that aims the coordination between the economic policies. According to this, as an obligation, member states would have to take precautions about the consistency between the budget policies of the member states and reduction of the fluctuation between the currencies.
01 April 1971EEC- Malta Partnership Treaty came into action.
05 July 1971The Turkish Parliament accepted the Additional Protocol.
22 July 1971Senate confirmed the Additional Protocol.
27 July 1971Until the Additional Protocol gets confirmation from the parliaments of the member countries; Interim agreement which would operate the commercial regulations was signed.
01 September 1971Interim Agreement came into force.
12 October1971EEC postponed the entrance of Turkey to Generalised System of Preferences.
13 January 1972Turkey-EEC negotiations about the acceptance of the Partnership Treaty by future members, started.
22 January 1972Denmark, Ireland, The United Kingdom and Norway signed the agreement of membership to community.
26 April 1972Turkey gave a memorandum to EEC and claimed more concessions and also claimed complaisance in some parts of the Additional Protocol that are negative for Turkey.
20 July 1972Partnership Council, extended the period of the Interim Agreement that had to be expired at 1 September 1972.
26 September 1972Norway held a referendum and decided not to attend the Community.
19 - 20 October197 In ParisSummit, new activity areas of the Community such as environment, energy, industry and social policies were determined. Economic and monetary union would be accomplished in 1980.
19 December 1972The Partnership Treaty between EEC and Cyprus was signed.
01 January 1973The Additional Protocol came into force, first customs reduction and consolidated liberation list was accorded.
01 January 1973The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark were admitted to EEC.
01 June 1973EEC- Cyprus Partnership Treaty came into force.
30 June 1973The Complementary Protocol that makes The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark parties of the Ankara Treaty, was signed.
14 - 15 December 1973 As a result of the 1973 energy crises, energy policy was included to common policies of the Community, in Copenhagen Summit.
01 January 1974The Additional Protocol came into force.
25 June 1974New Ecevit government stated their plan of revisiting EEC- Turkey relations in their programme.
16 July 1974After the coup d’etat in Cyprus, EEC countries, within the European Political Cooperation declared that they supported the independency and integrity of Cyprus.
20 July 1974Cyrus Peace Operation.
24 July 1974After the ceasefire in Cyprus, the EEC council of ministers called for return to the constitutional order in Cyprus.
16 September 1974After the interruption of Geneva Negotiations, EEC member states declared that they respect the integrity of Cyprus and invited the parties to restart the negotiations.
14 October 1974In Turkey- EEC Partnership Council foreign minister Güneş told about the revision decision of the Ecevit government and also told that list of the needed revisions would be declared later.
22 November 1974After the return of Greece to democracy, Greece- EEC Partnership Committee gathered for the first time.
09 - 10 December 1974In Paris Summit it was decided that presidents and prime ministers of the member states would meet three times in a year under the name of the European Council, European Regional Development Fund would be established and direct elections would be held for the European Parliament.
28 February 1975The Community signed the Lomé Convention (Lomé I) instead of the Yaoundé Convention, with 46 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.The Convention envisages fiscal cooperation and also free access of the goods from ACP countries to the Community market.
10 - 11 March 1975European Council’s first meeting was held in Dublin. A declaration about the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was accepted.
18 March 1975The council established the European Regional Development Fund and the Committee of the Regions.
21 - 25 April 1975EEC- Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee declared that Cyprus and Aegean questions could only be solved through negotiations with the attention of both Greece and Turkey.
24 April 1975European Parliament took an advisory decision approving the declaration of the Joint Committee and stating that the Committee supported solution in Cyprus.
11 May 1975EEC- Israel Agreement comprising co-operation and commercial tasks was signed in Brussels.
12 June 1975Greece applied to EEC for full membership.
15 July 1975EEC and Mexico signed a trade agreement.
22 July 1975Treaty for the establishment of the Court of Auditors that gives wide authorization to the European Parliament on the budget was signed and it would come into force in June 1977.
16 September 1975Official relations were established between China and the Community.
01 - 02 December 1975European Council met in Paris and decided that there would be direct elections for European Parliament beginning from 1978.
29 December 1975Leo Tindemans, prime minister of Belgium, presented a report about European Union comprising the precautions in common foreign policy, social and regional policies of Europe, policies regarding the community citizens and strengthening the institutions of the Community.
01 January 1976According to the obligations of the Additional Protocol, Turkey performed the customs reduction and accordance of the consolidated list.
01 January 1976The decision expanding the fishing area in the North Sea and Atlantic, to 200 miles came into force.
09 February 1976The council accepted the membership application of Greece.
04 March 1976Two protocols were signed with Malta. Partnership Treaty (1970) expanded comprising agriculture and cooperation.
01 April 1976Lomé Convention came into force.
25 - 27 April1976The community signed co-operation agreements with Maghreb countries (In April 25 with Tunisia, in April 26 with Algeria and in April 27 with Morocco).
01 June 1976EEC signed a trade co-operation agreement with Pakistan.
06 July 1976EEC signed a framework agreement with Canada for economic and commercial co-operation.
27 July 1976The Community started the official accession negotiations with Greece.
13 September 1976The Community signed the Barcelona Convention prepared to protect the Mediterranean against pollution.
03 October 1976The Council decided to start the common fishing policy and decided to expand the fishing areas in the North Atlantic and North Sea to 200 miles, by 1 January 1977.
06 - 09 November 1976EEC-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee took an advisory decision about the gradual free circulation of the employees between Turkey and the member countries.
25 December 1976Turkey, with a one-sided decision, actuated the protection section (section 60) of the Additional Protocol. Turkey freezed the treaty obligations and did not make any reduction on the lists.
18 January 1977The Community signed a Co-operation Agreement with Mashrek countries (Egypt, Jordan and Syria).
28 March 1977Portugal applied for full membership.
05 April 1977European Parliament, Council and the Commission signed a declaration respecting the Fundamental Rights.
03 May 1977The Community and Lebanon signed a Co-operation Agreement.
12 May 1977Fiscal Protocol III, which would provide Turkey 310 million Euros in the years between 1979-1982 was signed in Brussels.
17 May 1977The Council accepted the 6th VAT Instruction that forms a common basis for the value added taxes.
15 June 1977The Commission prepared an offer in order to finance the structural investments.
01 July 1977New agricultural concessions for Turkey came into force.
01 July 1977Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom started to implement common Customs Taxes.
28 July 1977Spain applied for full membership.
30 September 1977Ratification procedures of the Fiscal Protocol III between Turkey and EEC were completed.
03 April 1978A trade agreement was signed between the Community and China in order to come into force in 1 June.
07 - 08 April 1978The European Council in Copenhagen decided that first direct elections for the European Parliament would be on 7 and 10 June.
19 May 1978The Commission gave positive opinion on Portugal’s admission to EC.
06 June 1978The Council started the membership negotiations with Portugal.
06 - 07 June 1978The European Council in Bremen agreed on a common strategy for the reduction of unemployment and higher economic growth. Establishment of the European Monetary System (EMS) was planned.
26 September 1978The Council approved the co-operation agreements signed with Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and additional and fiscal protocols signed with Israel, Portugal and Malta.
04 - 11 October 1978Turkey freezed her own obligations for the fourth five-year plan and requested an aid of 8 billion dollars.
29 October 1978The Commission gave positive opinion on Spain’s admission to EC.
04 - 05 December 1978The European Council on Brussels established the European Monetary System depending on ECU and invited European institutions to make attempts for the accordance of institutional mechanisms and operations by means of enlargement.
05 February 1979The membership negotiations between EC and Spain started.
13 March 1979European Monetary System was established.
01 May 1979Fiscal Protocol III came into action.
08 May 1979The Commission offered to restart the EEC-Turkey partnership relations. According to this offer, the Council agreed on a common policy.
21 May 1979In their reply to Turkey, EEC Council accepted the transition process but refused most of the other requirements.
07 - 10 June 1979First direct elections for the European Parliament.
20 June 1979According to Turkey’s requirements, EEC- Turkey negotiations about the review of the obligations restarted.
28 June 1979Greek Parliament approved the Accession Treaty.
31 October 1979Lomé Convention II was signed.
17 December 1979The Community signed the GATT agreements of Tokyo Round.
28 December 1979Demirel government, which has replaced Ecevit government declared that they wanted to improve the relations with EEC. Turkey withdrew the requirement of freezing the obligations of the Additional Protocol’s framework.
24 January 1980Turkey declared that economic and fiscal policies have completely changed and precautions were taken according to market economy principles.
07 - 08 March 1980EEC- ASEAN Co-operation Agreement was signed.
02 April 1980The Community signed a Co-operation Agreement with Yugoslavia.
30 June 1980In his press meeting in Brussels, Turkish Foreign minister H. Erkmen declared that Turkey would apply for full membership in autumn. Partnership Council decided that until 1987, nearly for all agricultural products, customs taxes for Turkey would be reduced to zero. Moreover, parties agreed on the Fiscal Protocol IV that would provide 600 million Euros support to Turkey.
12 September 1980Turkish army started to govern the country with a coup d’etat.
16 September 1980Turkish army has dissolved the parliament and started to govern the country. EEC Council of Foreign Ministers gave time to military government and declared that co-operation with Turkey would sustain.
18 September 1980A framework co-operation agreement was signed between EEC and Brazil.