European Community

The glossary is being updated given the recent signing of the Treaty of Lisbon.

The European Community (EC) is a founding element of the European integration process.

It was established (as the European Economic Community) by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, with the principal objective of creating a common market without internal borders.

The establishment of the European Union (EU) in 1992 did not cause the European Economic Community to disappear. It remains part of the EU under the designation "European Community".

Article 2 of the Treaty establishing the EC defines its task as promoting throughout the Community:

• a harmonious, balanced and sustainable development of economic activities;
• a high level of employment and of social protection, and equality between men and women;
• sustainable, non-inflationary growth;
• a high degree of competitiveness and convergence of economic performance;
• a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment, the raising of the standard of living and quality of life, economic and social cohesion, and solidarity among the Member States.

To achieve these goals, the EC has devised a set of sectoral policies, focusing on the fields of transport, competition, fisheries and agriculture, asylum and immigration, energy and the environment.

These policies are implemented under the decision-making procedure laid down by the Treaty establishing the EC, with particular emphasis on codecision. The decision-making mechanism governing these policies is based on a specific model known as the "Community method".

See:

• Community and intergovernmental methods
• European Union
• Qualified majority
• Treaties
• Treaty of Amsterdam
• Treaty of Nice