Editing European Economic Community (section)

===Enlargement and elections===
The 1960s saw the first attempts at [[Enlargement of the European Union|enlargement]]. In 1961, [[Denmark]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Norway]] (in 1962), applied to join the three Communities. However, President Charles de Gaulle saw British membership as a [[Trojan Horse]] for U.S. influence and vetoed membership,<ref>{{cite web|title=General de Gaulle's first veto|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/education/unit-content/-/unit/02bb76df-d066-4c08-a58a-d4686a3e68ff/e491121c-8e37-473f-afe6-ff52e349c1aa|website=CVCE|publisher=University of Luxemburg|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref> and the applications of all four countries were suspended.<ref>{{cite web|title=General de Gaulle's first veto|url=https://www.cvce.eu/en/education/unit-content/-/unit/02bb76df-d066-4c08-a58a-d4686a3e68ff/e491121c-8e37-473f-afe6-ff52e349c1aa/Resources|website=CVCE|publisher=University of Luxemburg|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref>  [[Greece]] became the first country to join the EC in 1961 as an associate member, however its membership was suspended in 1967 after a coup d'état established a military dictatorship called the [[Greek junta|Regime of the Colonels]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Deschamps|first1=Etienne|last2=Lekl|first2=Christian|title=The accession of Greece|url=https://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/1999/1/1/61a2a7a5-39a9-4b06-91f8-69ae77b41515/publishable_en.pdf|website=CVCE|publisher=University of Luxemburg|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>

A year later, in February 1962, [[Spain]] attempted to join the European Community. However, because [[Francoist Spain]] was not a democracy, all members rejected the request in 1964.

The four countries resubmitted their applications on 11 May 1967 and with [[Georges Pompidou]] succeeding Charles de Gaulle as French president in 1969, the veto was lifted. Negotiations began in 1970 under the pro-European UK government of [[Edward Heath]], who had to deal with disagreements relating to the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] and the UK's relationship with the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. Nevertheless, two years later the accession treaties were signed so that Denmark, Ireland and the UK [[Enlargement of the European Union#First enlargement|joined the Community]] effective 1 January 1973. The Norwegian people had [[Norway–European Union relations|rejected membership]] in a [[1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum|referendum on 25 September 1972]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/28/newsid_4208000/4208314.stm|title=1994: Norway votes 'no' to Europe|date=28 November 1994|work=BBC News}}</ref>

The [[Treaty of Rome|Treaties of Rome]] had stated that the [[European Parliament]] must be directly elected, however this required the [[Council of the European Union|Council]] to agree on a common voting system first. The Council procrastinated on the issue and the Parliament remained appointed,<ref name="Hoskyns">{{Cite book|last=Hoskyns|first=Catherine|author2=Michael Newman|title=Democratizing the European Union: Issues for the twenty-first Century (Perspectives on Democratization)|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]]|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7190-5666-6}}</ref> French President Charles de Gaulle was particularly active in blocking the development of the Parliament, with it only being granted [[Budgetary treaties of the European Communities|Budgetary powers]] following his resignation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murphy|first1=Craig N.|title=The Oxford Companion to Comparative Politics|date=2013|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-973859-5|page=372|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-dMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA372|language=en|quote=De Gaulle's resignation in 1969 brought new energy. The European Parliament gained budgetary powers ...}}</ref>

Parliament pressured for agreement and on 20 September 1976 the Council agreed part of the necessary instruments for election, deferring details on electoral systems which remain varied to this day.<ref name="Hoskyns"/> During the tenure of [[Roy Jenkins|President Jenkins]], in June 1979, the elections were held in all the then-members (see [[1979 European Parliament election]]).<ref name="Veil election">{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/background_page/008-1806-015-01-03-901-20070109BKG01804-15-01-2007-2007-false/default_p001c006_en.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219023023/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/background_page/008-1806-015-01-03-901-20070109BKG01804-15-01-2007-2007-false/default_p001c006_en.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 February 2014|title=Press releases|website=European Parliament}}</ref> The new Parliament, galvanised by direct election and new powers, started working full-time and became more active than the previous assemblies.<ref name="Hoskyns"/>

Shortly after its election, the Parliament proposed that the Community adopt the [[flag of Europe]] design used by the [[Council of Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Flag|url=https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/symbols/european-flag_en|website=European Union|access-date=17 June 2022|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A6-2008-0347&language=EN&mode=XML|title=Report on the Insertion of a new Rule 202a on the use by Parliament of the symbols of the Union (2007/2240(REG))- Explanatory Statement|website=European Parliament}}</ref> The European Council in 1984 appointed an ''ad hoc'' committee for this purpose.<ref>[https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/resources/historicaldocument.faces/en/4659/html.bookmark Regarding The "Adonnino Report" - Report to the European Council by the ad hoc committee "On a People's Europe", A 10.04 COM 85, SN/2536/3/85]. 
Under the header of "strengthening of the Community's image and identity", the Committee
suggested the introduction of "a flag and an emblem", recommending a design based on the Council of Europe flag, but with the addition of "a gold letter E" in the center of the circle of stars:
"bearing in mind the independence and the different nature of the two organizations, the Committee proposes to the European Council that the European Community emblem and flag should be a blue rectangle with, in the center, a circle of twelve five-pointed gold stars which do not touch, surrounding a gold letter E, of the design already used by the Commission." Adonnino Report, p. 31.</ref> The European Council in 1985 largely followed the committee's recommendations, but as the adoption of a flag was strongly reminiscent of a [[national flag]] representing [[State (polity)|statehood]], was controversial, the "flag of Europe" design was adopted only with the status of a "logo" or "emblem".<ref name="emblem">{{cite book|last1=Theiler|first1=Tobias|title=Political Symbolism and European Integration|date=2005|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=9780719069949|pages=61–65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMiqfaCXr50C&pg=PA61|language=en|quote=The compromise was widely disregarded from the beginning, and the "European logo" in spite of the explicit avoidance of giving it the status of a "flag" was referred to as "Community flag" or even "European flag" from the outset.}}</ref>

The European Council, or European summit, had developed since the 1960s as an informal meeting of the Council at the level of heads of state. It had originated from then-[[President of France|French President]] [[Charles de Gaulle]]'s resentment at the domination of supranational institutions (e.g. the commission) over the integration process. It was mentioned in the treaties for the first time in the [[Single European Act]] (see below).<ref name="Dragoman">{{Cite web|last=Stark|first=Christine|title=Evolution of the European Council: The implications of a permanent seat|publisher=Dragoman.org|url=http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|access-date=12 July 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709220601/http://www.dragoman.org/ec/belfast-2002.pdf|archive-date=9 July 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Enlargement of the European Union 77.gif|thumb|Enlargement, 1957 to 2013<br />{{legend|#003399|Community enlargement}}{{legend|#225522|Since 1995}}]]