European Journal of Scientific Research (ISSN: 1450 ... - EuroJournals

© European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol 7, No 5, 2005
in their advocacy of specific institutional frameworks (e.g., Spinelli was a committed federalist,
Monnet was chiefly interested in forging cooperative structures which would end the threat of
war), these three men and other advocates of European Union argued that integration was
necessary to prevent future European wars, to achieve economic efficiencies, and to stave off
domination by either of the two Superpowers (USSR, USA).
While some analysts cite the Benelux Economic Union (accomplished during WWII, this treaty
integrated the economies of three small political units - Belgium, The Netherlands, and
Luxembourg) as the first step in European integration, most analysts trace the history of the E U
to the 1952creationbf the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The creation of Jean,
Monnet and Robert Schuman, the main purpose of the ECSC was to bind Germany into peaceful
Europe through t the use of a common market around a critical industry (Michael, 1989).
Although France was the major promoter, the ECSC also included the three Benelux countries,
along with West Germany and Italy- the core "six" of the future EC. The early experience with
the ECSC highlighted -both the opportunities presented by and the pitfalls inherent in regional
cooperative programs. March 25, 1957 is an important date in the history of European Union. It
was on this date that the representatives of the six nations' signed the Treaty of Rome,
establishing the EEC or Common Market (effective January 1, 1958) (Mainuddin, Aicher and
Elliot, 1996). In a separate treaty, the six also established EUROTOM, the European Atomic
Energy Community, with the goal of forming a common market for the development of nuclear
energy for peaceful purposes. The Treaty of Rome established the basic institutional framework
for the modem-day EU (e.g., setting up the European Commission, Parliament, and Council of
Ministers) and formalized the aim to create an "ever closer union of the peoples of Europe"
(Rybezynski, 1993).
The specific objectives of the Treaty of Rome were to remove trade barriers, to establish a single
trade policy toward nonmember countries, to coordinate transportation systems and agricultural
policies; to ease the movement of capital and labor across borders; and to remove obstacles to
competition. Focused on the basic economic interest of the six members, the EEC in these early
years had a "Western European counterpart in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA),
which was comprised of the UK, Ireland, the three Scandinavian countries, Austria and
Switzerland. The EEC always aimed towards much deeper integration efforts than the EFT A -
seeking a customs union, building a common external tariff; eliminating the cause of trade
distortions at the source, and establishing a common agricultural policy, etc. Most analysts note
that the EE C was quite successful in the economic field (making more rapid progress than
planned in building the customs union and establishing a common external tariff) but had only
limited success in the political arena. (Middlemas, 1995).
The EU. went into its second stage of development in July of 1967, when the administration of
the three original EU "communities" (the ECSC, the EEC and Eurotom) merged to form a single
body, later called the European Community (EC). For the next fifteen years or so - until the early
1980s – the principal focus of the EC was not so much on "deepening" the aspects of integration,
but rather on "widening" its membership and dealing with problems of political differences and
economic disparities among the member states. In 1973, Denmark, the UK and Ireland left the
EFTA and became full members of the EC, Spain and Portugal was admitted in 1986.
(Rybezynski, 1993).