Who are members of the European Economic Community?

Question

Who are members of the European Economic Community?

Answer 1

The European Economic Community was a free-trade bloc formed in 1957 by 6 states:  France, West Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Italy. In 1973 Denamrk, the Republic of Ireland and the UK joined, then in the 1980s Spain, Portugal and Greece took its number of member countries to 12.

The EEC was renamed the European Community in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty and absorbed into the new European Unionas it's trading bloc.  The EC and EU have exactly the same members and in 2009/2010 when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified the EC will be disbanded and entirely replaced by the EU.  The members of the EEC (and later the EU) are officially as follows, although everybody uses their standard names rather than the official titles:

French Republic (joined 1957)

Federal Republic of Germany (1957)

Italian Republic (1957)

Kingdom of the Netherlands (1957)

Kingdom of the Belgians (1957)

Grand Duchy of Luxemburg (1957)

Eire / Ireland {described as Republic of Ireland} (1973)

United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland (1973)

Kingdom of Denmark (1973)

Hellenic Republic {this is Greece} (1981)

Kingdom of Spain (1986)

Portuguese Republic (1986)

Republic of Austria (1995)

Republic of Finland (1995)

Kingdom of Sweden (1995)

Republic of Cyprus (2004)

Czech Republic (2004)

Slovak Republic (2004)

Republic of Estonia (2004)

Republic of Hungary (2004)

Republic of Latvia (2004)

Republic of Lithuania (2004)

Republic of Malta (2004)

Republic of Poland (2004)

Republic of Slovenia (2004)

Republic of Bulgaria (2007)

Romania (2007)

In addition to these member states the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Iceland and the Principality of Leichtenstein are not members but are given full access to the EU free market and laws extending freedom of movement and employment across all member-states apply to them also.  The Swiss Confederation has a similar but less extensive agreement.

Answer 2

Austria, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary, Norway, Bulgaria, Iceland, Poland, Cyprus, Ireland, Portugal, Cech Republic, Italy, Romania, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Finland, Lituania, Spain, France, Luxemburg, Sweden, Germany, Malta, UK and Belgique.

Those are actually the members of the European Economic Area. There existed also the European Community, which was an early stage of today's European Union.

All EEA members are also EU members - except Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.