| Name |
Formal Name |
Headquarters |
Established |
Aim |
Members |
| ECO |
Economic Cooperation Organization |
|
27-29 January 1985 |
to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development |
10 + 1 observer |
| ECOWAS |
Economic Community of West African States |
|
28 May 1975 |
to promote regional economic cooperation |
16 |
| EMU |
Economic and Monetary Union (also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union) |
|
proposed: 1-2 December 1969 at summit conference of heads of government; signed - 7 February 1992 - Maastricht Treaty |
to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; timetable - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the €uro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted |
12 (Denmark, Sweden, and UK decided not to join) |
| EAPC |
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO) |
|
8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991 |
to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues |
46 |
| EBRD |
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
|
8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated) |
to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization |
62 |
| EIB |
European Investment Bank |
|
25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958 |
to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC |
15 |
| ESA |
European Space Agency |
Paris (France) |
31 May 1975 |
to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology |
15 + 2 cooperating states |
| EU |
European Union - (evolved from the European Community - EC) |
|
7 February 1992; effective - 1 November 1993 |
to coordinate policy among the 15 members in three fields: economics; defense, within the concept of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP); and justice and home affairs, including immigration, drugs, terrorism, and improved living and working conditions |
25 (membership applicants: Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey) |