journal of european integration history revue d'histoire de l ...

101
Italy and the Hague Conference of December 1969
Maria Eleonora Guasconi
In spite of an idealistic reference to Europeanism, the Italian position in post-war
European integration may be stereotyped as the somewhat passive witness of
initiatives taken by other countries. 1 Apart from such renowned names as Alcide de
Gasperi, Altiero Spinelli, Emilio Colombo, Ugo La Malfa and Aldo Moro, Italian
participation has been characterised by long delays in implementing EC regulations
in national law and the lack of interest shown towards the Brussels institutions by
political leaders, as is illustrated best by Franco Maria Malfatti's decision to resign
from the presidency of the Commission, in order to take part in the domestic
political elections held in 1972. 2
This stereotype persisted also among the other European countries, where Italy,
due to its instability, was seen as the weak link of the Western chain. 3 «The Italians
in Brussels generally are not good at chairing meetings; and at ministerial level
there is a continual risk of changes», wrote John Robinson, sir Con O'Neill's
assistant, in a minute, which explained the reasons why Great Britain should end
the enlargement negotiations before July 1971, when Italy assumed the presidency
of the Council of ministers. 4
The negative image of Italy as a ‘weak negotiator’, unable to defend its national
interests, was exemplified by the country's inability to pursue its interest in the field
of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), where Italian political leaders agreed to
set up a mechanism which was disadvantageous to their agriculture; 5 by the
1. The author would like to thank Carlo Scarascia Mugnozza for his help and advice during the research,
Alan S. Milward, Piers Ludlow and Jan van der Harst for sending some interesting documents
related to the Hague Conference, Jean Marie Palayret and Andrea Becherucci for their kind
co-operation at the Historical Archives of the European Communities (HAEC) in Florence and Annabelle
Leach for English corrections.
2. See: M. NERI GUALDESI, L'Italia e il processo di integrazione europea, and A. VARSORI,
L'europeismo nella politica estera italiana, in: L. TOSI (ed.), L'Italia e le organizzazioni internazionali,
CEDAM, Padova, 1999, pp.341-389 and 391-415; A. VARSORI, L'Italia nelle relazioni
internazionali dal 1943 al 1992, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1998; Idem. (ed.), L'Italia e il processo di
integrazione europea: prospettive di ricerca e revisione storiografica, in: Storia delle Relazioni
Internazionali, XIII(1998), XIV(1999); Idem., La questione europea nella politica italiana, in:
Studi Storici, IV(2002), pp.955-971.
3. A. VARSORI, L'allargamento della Cee, in E. DI NOLFO (ed.), La politica estera italiana negli
anni Ottanta, Piero Lacaita Editore, Manduria, 2003, p.189.
4. The document is quoted by C. O'NEILL, Britain's Entry into the European Community. Report by
Sir Con O'Neill, Whitehall History Publishing, London, 2000, pp.373-378.
5. In 1962, when the decisions related to the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
(EAGGF) were taken, Italy exported its agricultural products, two years later it imported the same
products, especially those which were coming from non-EC countries. On this question see: R.
GALLI and S. TORCASIO, La partecipazione italiana alla politica agricola comunitaria, Il
Mulino, Bologna 1976, and G. LASCHI, L'agricoltura italiana e l'integrazione europea, Peter
Lang, Brussels 1999.