29 March – An informal meeting of foreign ministers is held in Ioannina. A compromise decision is adopted on rules for qualified-majority decision-making in preparation for enlargement.
8–10 July – The 20th Western Economic Summit is held in Naples, Italy.
14 July – Faccini Dori ruling. The European Court of Justice affirms that a Member State injuring a private individual by omitting to transpose a directive in its national law must pay compensation provided that certain conditions are satisfied.
27 July – The Commission adopts a White Paper on the European Social policy.
October
10 October – A cooperation agreement between the Community and South Africa is signed. A conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) opens in Budapest, Hungary.
25 October – The Commission adopts the first part of the Green Paper on liberalisation of telecommunications infrastructure and cable television networks.
9–10 December – The European Council in Essen, Germany lays down lines of action for growth, competitiveness and employment with special reference to measures to combat unemployment and to bring trans-European networks into operation; it agrees on an overall strategy to bring the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe closer to the Community and reiterates its determination to establish a Euro-Mediterranean partnership. It approves the principle of a multi-annual aid programme for Northern Ireland.
15–16 December – The Council adopts a conclusion on the Community strategy for reducing CO2 emissions and on environment and transport. It also adopts a regulation on the substances which deplete the ozone layer and a directive on the incineration of hazardous waste.
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year, during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension.
