VII. The Contemporary Period, 1945–2000 > B. Europe, 1945–2000 > 5. Diplomatic Relations and European Pacts > 1996
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  The Encyclopedia of World History.  2001.
 
 
1996
 
On June 3, NATO agreed on a plan to strengthen European armies.  1
 
1997, July 8
 
NATO formally invited Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to join.  2
 
1998, March 30
 
At a ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, the EU formally began membership talks with Poland, Estonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. This planned EU expansion effort marked the first time that formal negotiations would include former Soviet-bloc nations.  3
 
May 3
 
After an extended summit, the difficult decision of choosing the future president of the European Central Bank (ECB) was finalized with the selection of Wim Duisenberg, former president of the Dutch Central Bank. Duisenberg was chosen over French nominee Jean-Claude Trichet. With this decision, the EU was free to proceed with plans to launch its Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) by 1999.  4
 
May 28
 
Denmark citizens voted in favor of adopting the EU's Treaty of Amsterdam, a modified version of the Maastricht Treaty that Denmark had rejected in 1992.  5
 
June 8
 
As tensions rose in Yugoslavia, Serb forces were detected as using “excessive force” in the Kosovo region. The EU passed several sanctions on the government of Slobodan Milosevic and gave support for a future NATO force to intervene in the area if peaceful relations were not quickly restored between Serbs and ethnic Albanians.  6
 
June 15–16
 
The EU heads of state met in Cardiff, Wales and agreed that negotiations should begin with a group of six nations applying for membership in the EU. These countries were Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia, and Hungary. The EU heads of state also agreed that Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia were possible EU members in the future but that each would require more economic and political reforms before the EU would extend formal membership invitations to them. Turkish representatives voiced extreme disgust at the EU's decision to include Cyprus—the Aegean island shared by Turkey and Greece—yet to exclude Turkey in membership negotiations.  7
 
July 6
 
Spain and Britain signed an agreement allowing NATO extensive use of the Mediterranean island nation, Gibraltar (See 1998, July 6).  8
 
July 13
 
The EU banned 130 Belarusan officials from traveling to EU countries (See 1998, July 13).  9
 
Aug. 28
 
The Russian stock market was in a free fall and the government halted trading of the ruble on international currency markets. The extended economic crisis that ensued led Pres. Yeltsin to replace his government several times before resigning on Dec. 31, 1999, and leaving the presidency to his hand-picked successor, Vladimir Putin.  10
 
Nov. 2
 
An EU summit was held to discuss environmental issues worldwide. A special focus was the question of global warming.  11
 
Nov. 23
 
The EU ban on beef from Britain, barred from European sale for three years because of possible infection with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was lifted; sale of young British beef was resumed on the continent.  12
 
 
 
The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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