Published on 30 October 2024

The European Communities

The European Communities (EC) comprised the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). These three organisations merged in 1967. Successive waves of enlargement from 1973 resulted in 12 member states by 1985. In signing the Single European Act in 1986, these countries expressed their intention to establish the European Union (EU).