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The vision of a unified Europe has a long history. The idea has at different times been promoted by philosophers, monarchs, politicians and religious leaders and can be traced back at least as far as the Roman Empire. The Twentieth century saw this dream shattered by the two world wars that ravaged the continent during the first half of the century. However, from these world wars, the dream emerged stronger. WWII served to reaffirm in the minds of many Europeans that "antagonistic nationalism" was a potent cause of violent conflict on the continent. Winston Churchill, in a speech delivered in Zurich on September 19, 1946, suggested moving forward with a plan to unify Europe into a “United States of Europe” (Europe from A to Z. CD-ROM. Pg. 6). Soon after, in 1949, the Council of Europe was founded to foster political cooperation among the countries of Europe (How does the European Union Work?, pg. 6). The
two main actors in the theoretical development of European unification
were Altiero Spinelli and Jean Monnet. Spinelli, an Italian federalist,
advanced the idea that local, regional, national, and European authorities
should “cooperate and complement each other” in a union. Spinelli
endorsed the “Federalist Approach” to European unification. Monnet,
on the other hand, advocated a “Functionalist Approach” which suggested
a “gradual transfer of sovereignty” from the national governments to independent
European political institutions (pg. 6). Both these approaches have been
effectively combined in the contemporary vision of European integration:
That vision is based on the conviction that “national and regional authorities
need to be matched by independent, democratic European institutions with
responsibility for those areas in which joint action is more effective
than action by individual states. These areas include the single
market, monetary policy, environmental protection, foreign and defense
policy, and the creation of an area of freedom and justice” (pg. 6).
The end of WWII revealed the need for an effective way of reconstructing Western Europe to prevent another world war from ever occuring again. Steps towards economic integration taken after WWII represent the first steps in the unification of Western Europe. Jean Monnet, a businessman who became an advisor to the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, was the central architect of the first official step toward European integration. Monet's funtionalist ideas were embodied in the Schuman Plan. This plan acknowledged the critical importance of economic stability and relative prosperity in preventing a future war in Europe. (It should not be forgotten that the dire economic conditions in Germany following WWII undoubtedly contributed to the rise of Hitler and the resurgence of German nationalism). Since the Schuman Plan, there have been a series of treaties that have witnessed a progressive increase in the number of Western European countries choosing to integrate economically and politically in the European Community. These treaties also became the key steps in the process of the formation of a constitutional basis for the Union. The road to integration passes through two stages according to the treaties. The first stage includes the three treaties that were signed in the 1950’s and mainly involved efforts to integrate Europe economically. Collectively, these treaties became known as the European Community. The first treaties towards integration were: I. The European Coal and Steel Community Treaty (ECSC): The ECSC was the first treaty. The result of French initiative, the treaty was signed in Paris on April 18, 1951. The members were France, Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Each member agreed to transfer portions of their sovereign powers to the ECSC High Authority. Within five years coal and steel trade among the six members had increased by 129% (The European Union: A Guide for Americans, pg. 4). Further integration was kept on an economic level mainly due to the French Parliament’s opposition, in the 1950s, to military and political integration, and also due to the precedent of success in the arena of economic integration. II. The European Economic Community (EEC): First of two treaties negotiated at the historic meeting that took place in Messina, Italy in June of 1955, and signed on March 25, 1957 in Rome. This treaty sought the merger of the separate national markets of the six member states into a single market, ensuring the free movement of goods, people, capital, and services, while simultaneously striving for community-wide harmonization of economic policies (pg. 4). III. The European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom): This treaty sought the development and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.In November of 1993, the Maastricht Treaty on European Union took effect. It renewed and enhanced the founding treaties by conceptualizing a “three pillar” European Union (for more on the “Three Pillars,” see page 5 of The European Union: A Guide for Americans).
Link: www.eurunion.org |
