The European Economic Community (EEC) was first created by the coming together of six west European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany and Italy) in 1957 to form a common market. European Commission was one of the first institutions set up to run the affairs of the Community. After the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992 the term European Community was used in place of the European Economic Community. European Community refers to the 15 Member States working jointly through common institutions (i.e. the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Court of Justice etc.)
However, the term European Union which was simultaneously used in the Maastricht Treaty is an all encompassing term to denote not only the European Community but also the other two pillars of European integration process, namely, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Justice and Home Affairs Policy (JHAP).