countries. In 1978, Liechtenstein became a member of the Council of Europe, and then joined the United Nations in 1990, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991, and both the European Economic Area (EEA) and World Trade Organization in 1995. Liechtenstein during the 21st century In a referendum on March 16, 2003, Prince Hans-Adam, who had threatened to leave the country if he lost, won a large majority (64.3%) in favour of overhauling the constitution to effectively give him more powers than any other European monarch. The new constitution gave the prince the right to dismiss governments and approve judicial nominees and allowed him to veto laws simply by refusing to sign them within a six-month period. On August 15, 2003, Hans-Adam announced he would step down in one year and hand over the reins to his son Alois. In August 2004, Prince Hans-Adam handed over the practical running of the principality to his son, Crown Prince Alois, although still remaining official head of state. On July 1, 2007, the first two consuls in the history of the Principality were appointed to represent Liechtenstein in the United States of America. On March 3, 2007, the Swiss army "invaded" Liechtenstein territory by mistake, "170 Swiss Army troops crossed the border into Liechtenstein". In June 2012, the voters decided in the constitutional referendum that Crown Prince Alois should be allowed to retain his power of veto over decisions made in nationwide ballots. See also List of Princes of Liechtenstein Politics of Liechtenstein General History of Europe References External links Fullest history of Liechtenstein on the Web History of Liechtenstein: Primary Documents