Western European Union facts for kids

The Western European Union (WEU) was an organization in Europe that focused on defense and security. It was created by the Treaty of Brussels in 1948. Later, West Germany and Italy joined in 1954. The WEU should not be confused with the European Union (EU). Its main office was in Brussels. After the Cold War ended, the WEU's jobs slowly moved to the European Union and the Council of Europe. The organization officially closed down on March 31, 2011.

Treaty of Brussels

The Treaty of Brussels was signed by the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. This happened on March 17, 1948. The treaty was updated on October 23, 1954. This is when West Germany and Italy became members.

The Western European Union had three main goals:

• To help Europe's economy get back on track.
• To protect each other from attacks or threats.
• To encourage countries in Europe to work together.

The WEU was guided by a group called the Council of Ministers. Ambassadors from member countries, known as the Council of Permanent Representatives, helped them. The WEU's Parliament, called the Parliamentary Assembly, eventually had the same members as the Parliament of the Council of Europe. To avoid doing the same work twice, social and cultural activities were given to the Council of Europe.

Images for kids

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  Hotel Petersberg, where the Petersberg tasks were defined in 1992.

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  High Representative Javier Solana (September 1999)

See also

In Spanish: Unión Europea Occidental para niños