The European Economic Community

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the European Economic Community (EEC) was established to lower custom barriers between European countries and to create greater political cohesion and ultimately an economic entity, which would increase Europe's power in the world market. The author points out that the major reasons Germany, which was more familiar with federalism, wanted the states of Europe to join together as a European federal state were: (1) The quicker the integration process, the shorter time period needed for Germany to overcome the loss of the war and the status of being the 'loser' of the war and (2) if a European union would control all members, then there would be less or even complete avoidance of discrimination towards Germany by other nations. The paper stresses that the major reasons Britain, on the other hand, did not want to be a part of a united Europe were: (1) They viewed unification as a European super-state being run by the Britain's oldest rivals French and German and (2) Britain, having had a stable democracy for many centuries and never having been subject to totalitarian rule, saw themselves as different and unlike any fellow European member.

From the Paper:

"At the end of the Second World War, Europe was devastated and economically exhausted, and its most urgent need was to restore its economy. In this situation two great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, uneasily confronted each other across Europe. Europe would be organized in such a way that war between Western European countries could not recur. There was an urgent need to construct war shattered economies that led the countries of Western Europe to begin working together. Finally, after long and complicated negotiations, the "Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) was signed in Rome on March 25, 1957 and came into affect in January, 1958." (Palmer and Lambert, 1968, 33). What this Treaty established was a European free trade eliminating all tariffs on trades between members of the EEC, which included Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, France, Luxembourg, and the Federal Republic of Germany."

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