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

101Italy and the Hague Conference of December 1969Maria Eleonora GuasconiIn spite of an idealistic reference to Europeanism, the Italian position in post-warEuropean integration may be stereotyped as the somewhat passive witness ofinitiatives taken by other countries. 1 Apart from such renowned names as Alcide deGasperi, Altiero Spinelli, Emilio Colombo, Ugo La Malfa and Aldo Moro, Italianparticipation has been characterised by long delays in implementing EC regulationsin national law and the lack of interest shown towards the Brussels institutions bypolitical leaders, as is illustrated best by Franco Maria Malfatti's decision to resignfrom the presidency of the Commission, in order to take part in the domesticpolitical elections held in 1972. 2This 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 Italiansin Brussels generally are not good at chairing meetings; and at ministerial levelthere is a continual risk of changes», wrote John Robinson, sir Con O'Neill'sassistant, in a minute, which explained the reasons why Great Britain should endthe enlargement negotiations before July 1971, when Italy assumed the presidencyof the Council of ministers. 4The negative image of Italy as a ‘weak negotiator’, unable to defend its nationalinterests, was exemplified by the country's inability to pursue its interest in the fieldof the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), where Italian political leaders agreed toset up a mechanism which was disadvantageous to their agriculture; 5 by the1. 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 documentsrelated to the Hague Conference, Jean Marie Palayret and Andrea Becherucci for their kindco-operation at the Historical Archives of the European Communities (HAEC) in Florence and AnnabelleLeach 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 relazioniinternazionali dal 1943 al 1992, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1998; Idem. (ed.), L'Italia e il processo diintegrazione europea: prospettive di ricerca e revisione storiografica, in: Storia delle RelazioniInternazionali, 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 neglianni 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 bySir 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 sameproducts, 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, IlMulino, Bologna 1976, and G. LASCHI, L'agricoltura italiana e l'integrazione europea, PeterLang, Brussels 1999.