E
East African Community (EAC)
note - originally established in 1967, it was disbanded in 1977 established - January 2001 aim - to establish a political and economic union among the countries members - (5) Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
East African Development Bank (EADB)
established - 6 June 1967; effective - 1 December 1967 aim - to promote economic development members - (4) Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
East Asia Summit (EAS)
established - 14 December 2005 aim - to promote cooperation in political and security issues; to promote development, financial stability, energy security, economic integration and growth; to eradicate poverty and narrow the development gap in East Asia, and to promote deeper cultural understanding members - (16) Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, NZ, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
note - was formerly the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) established - 8 December 1964; effective - 1 January 1966 aim - to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market members - (6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
note - an integral part of the European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union established - 1-2 December 1969 (proposed at summit conference of heads of government; 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed) aim - 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 euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted members - (17) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945 aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and nine functional commissions (Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice) members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL)
note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs established - 20 September 1976 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda; note - organization collapsed because of fighting in 1998; reactivated in 2006
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
established - 28 May 1975 aim - to promote regional economic cooperation members - (15) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire (suspended), The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (suspended), Guinea- Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger (suspended), Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO)
established - 27-29 January 1985 aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurasEC)
note - merged with Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) in 2005 established - May 2001 aim - to create a common economic and energy policy members - (5) Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan observers - (3) Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
note - began as the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO established - 8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991 aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues members - (50) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated) aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization members - (63) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EC, European Investment Bank (EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US, Uzbekistan
European Community (or European Communities, EC)
established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market), and to establish a completely integrated common market and an eventual federation of Europe; merged into the European Union (EU) on 7 February 1992; member states at the time of merger were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
established - 4 January 1960; effective - 3 May 1960 aim - to promote expansion of free trade members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland
European Investment Bank (EIB)
established - 25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958 aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC members - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire established - 1 July 1953; effective - 29 September 1954 aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK observers - (8) EC, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US
European Space Agency (ESA)
established - 31 May 1975 aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology members - (18) Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK cooperating states - (5) Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia
European Union (EU)
note - see European Union entry at the end of the "country" listings