Brussels Treaty

The Brussels Treaty, signed in 1948 by Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, established a collective defense alliance. Its primary goals were to foster cooperation among Western European nations and to encourage U.S. involvement in European security, ultimately leading to the formation of NATO and the Western European Union.1

In 1965, a separate agreement, also referred to as the Brussels Treaty, merged the commissions and councils of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the European Economic Community (EEC) into single institutions. This merger was a significant step in the integration of these European communities, which later formed the principal institutions of the European Union. The EEC itself was established in 1957 with the goal of creating a common market by eliminating trade barriers and fostering economic integration.2