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MAJOR HISTORICAL EVENTS OF THE PERIOD 1989 - 2015

1990 - Mani pulite - Mani Pulite was a nationwide

judicial investigation into political

corruption in Italy held in the 1990s. Mani

Pulite led to the demise of the so-called "First

Republic", resulting in the disappearance of many

political parties. Some politicians and industry

leaders committed suicide after their crimes were

exposed. Antonio Di Pietro was the main judicial

figure in charge of the operation.

1991 - The Croatian War of Independence -

The Croatian War of Independence was fought

from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to

the government of Croatia and the Serb-controlled

Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and local

Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat

operations in Croatia by 1992. In Croatia, the war

is primarily referred to as the "Homeland War".

1992 - Maastricht Treaty - The Maastricht

Treaty undertaken to integrate Europe was signed

on 7 February 1992 by the members of

the European

Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10

December 1991, the same city hosted the European

Council which drafted the treaty. Upon its entry

into force on 1 November 1993 during the Delors

Commission, it created the European Union and

led to the creation of the single European currency,

the euro. The Maastricht Treaty has been amended

by the treaties of Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon.

2005 - London Bombings - The 7 July 2005

London bombings, sometimes referred to as 7/7,

were a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bomb

attacks central in London, which targeted civilians

using the public transport system during the rush

hour.

On the morning of Thursday, 7 July 2005,

four Islamist extremists separately detonated three

bombs in quick succession

aboard London Underground trains across the city

and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in

Tavistock Square. Fifty-two people were killed

and over 700 more were injured in the attacks,

making it Britain’s worst terrorist incident since

the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight

103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, as well as the

country’s first ever Islamist suicide attack.

2010 - The EFSF - The European Financial

Stability Facility (EFSF) is a special purpose

vehicle financed by members of the eurozone to

address the European sovereign-debt crisis. It was

agreed by the Council of the European Union on 9

May 2010, with the objective of preserving

financial stability in Europe by providing financial

assistance to eurozone states in economic

difficulty. The Facility's headquarters are

in Luxembourg City, as are those of the European

Stability Mechanism. Treasury

management services and administrative support

are provided to the Facility by the European

Investment Bank through a service level

contract. Since the establishment of the European

Stability Mechanism, the activities of the EFSF are

carried out by the ESM.

2015 - Informal Council in Brussels - EU leaders

meet at an informal European Council in Brussels

to discuss three challenges facing Europe:

restoring peace in Ukraine, fighting terrorism and

improving the European Monetary Union,

particularly in the light of the change of

government in Greece, whose new Prime Minister,

Alexis Tsipras, asks for a review of its situation.