Editing European Union (section)

===First enlargement and European co-operation (1973{{Non breaking en dash}}1993)===
{{Main|History of the European Communities (1973–1993)}}

[[File:Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford and Members of the American Delegation Taking a Break at the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki, Finland - NARA - 7462031.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Gerald Ford]] and the American delegation at the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe|CSCE]] (1975)]]

In 1973, the communities were enlarged to include [[Denmark]] (including Greenland), Ireland, and the [[Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities|United Kingdom]].<ref name="ENA First enlargement">{{Cite web |title=The first enlargement |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_first_enlargement-en-fa871903-53b5-497e-855f-01c9842c7b94.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> [[Norway]] had negotiated to join at the same time, but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a [[1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum|referendum]]. The ''[[Ostpolitik]]'' and the ensuing détente led to establishment of a first truly pan-European body, the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (CSCE), predecessor of the modern [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE). In 1979, the [[1979 European Parliament election|first direct elections]] to the European Parliament were held.<ref name="ENA New Parliament">{{Cite web |title=The new European Parliament |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/the_new_european_parliament-en-e40aba1b-45f1-43bf-bbd1-a34bb52f15db.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> [[Greece]] joined in 1981. In 1985, Greenland [[1982 Greenlandic European Communities membership referendum|left the Communities]], following a dispute over fishing rights. During the same year, the [[Schengen Agreement]] paved the way for the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 April 2001 |title=Schengen agreement |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/europe/euro-glossary/1230052.stm |access-date=18 September 2009}}</ref> In 1986, the [[Single European Act]] was signed. Portugal and [[Accession Treaty of Spain to the European Economic Community|Spain]] joined in 1986.<ref name="ENA Enlargement negotiations">{{Cite web |title=Negotiations for enlargement |url=http://www.cvce.eu/obj/negotiations_for_enlargement-en-19a4fd81-119d-4090-bfac-c7cc8ae64a20.html |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=CVCE}}</ref> In 1990, after [[revolutions of 1989|the fall of the Eastern Bloc]], the former [[East Germany]] became part of the communities as part of a [[German reunification|reunified Germany]].<ref name="Europa History 80-89">{{Cite web |title=1980–1989 The changing face of Europe – the fall of the Berlin Wall |url=http://europa.eu/abc/history/1980-1989/index_en.htm |access-date=25 June 2007 |publisher=Europa web portal}}</ref>