Written by students who passed Immediately available after payment Read online or as PDF Wrong document? Swap it for free 4.6 TrustPilot
logo-home
Document preview thumbnail
Preview 4 out of 66 pages
Summary

Summary SMV European Integration

Document preview thumbnail
Preview 4 out of 66 pages

This summary describes the course European Integration, taught by Steven Van Hecke in the 2nd semester of the 1st bachelor's degree in Political Science. The summary is written in English.

Content preview

C0: WHY EUROPE?
Robert Schuman --> laid bases for European Union in on 9 may 1950

Ruud Lubbers (Dutch Prime Minister; december 1991)
- proposed package deal regarding old and new institutions of the EU
- seat-issue (which city will house the EP?)

Summit in Maastricht --> step towards a federal Europe
--> single currency, European citizenship, common foreign and security
policy
--> accepted on 10 december 1991

Wilfried Martens:
- strong pro-European
- believed Maastricht Treaty fell short by not addressing political union
- supported Lubbers as fellow Christen Democrat; opposed Brussels as
capital

Jean-Luc Dehaene --> agreement that both Brussels and Strasbourg will host
EP

Three lenses to understand European Integration:
1) treaties as the legal foundation
a. Treaty of Paris (1952), established European Coal and Steel
Commun. (ECSC)
b. EU remains international organization rather than a state
2) geographic expansion
a. from 6 Member States to 27
b. war in Ukraine (2022-) --> countries aspiring to become candidate
members
3) crises as catalysts for integration
a. e.g. Common Agricultural Policy --> Member States recognize their
inability to manage certain issues independently

= “falling forward”

Female participation:
- e.g. Thatcher (UK Prime Minister) & Merkel (German Chancellor)
- first directly elected EP appointed Simone Veil as its president
- European Commission --> 13W, 14M (Von Der Leyen as president)

Western and Eastern European Dynamics:
- 5/6 founding members are entirely located in Western Europe
- e.g. Hungarian uprising in 1956, civil war in Yugoslavia, Russian
annexation of Crime, ... have influenced formation of European project

Colonial legacy:

, - promoted “cooperation” for peace, but involved in committing atrocities in
their colonies
- Schuman Declaration --> economic integration must help development of
Africa




C1: WHY IS THERE NO
EUROPEAN ARMY YET?
Paul-Henri Spaak:
- Belgian PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- not eager to join NATO + lacklustre regarding economic help of the USA
- conclusion: he must choose a side between USA and USSR
- speech: “nous avons peur...”

30/9/1938 --> Munich Agreement
- GB and France let Germany take Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to
avoid war
- British PM Neville Chamberlain --> agreement has secured “peace for our
time”

1939 --> Germany invaded Poland + Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Germany
and USSR
1940 --> Blitzkrieg in Western Europe (conquering of France, Belgium &
Netherlands)
June 1941 --> Operation Barbarossa (invasion of USSR)
June 6 1944 --> D-Day (entry of US and GB in Western Europe)
1945 --> surrender of Germany (USSR: focus on securing Soviet influence over
Eastern Europe)

1.1 The Cold War
October 1943 --> Moscow Conference
- ministers of Foreign Affairs of USA, USSR, UK + Chinese ambassador
- need for new international organisation
- idea of establishment of the UN

February 1945 --> Yalta Conference
--> Stalin, FDR & Churchill gather to discuss the spheres of influence
regarding the organisation of post-war Germany & broader Europe

25 april 1945 --> establishment of UN (850 representatives from 50 countries
meet for this)
- UN Security Council: China, France, UK, USSR & USA
--> 5 permanent members with veto rights (+ 6 rotating non-permanent

,members)
--> changed to 10 members in 1965

End of WW2 --> seeds of Cold War
- Stalin distrusted UK and USA for not opening second western front
- communist parties did well in the West (e.g. Belgium)
- annexation of Baltic states & part of Finland + taking part in Greek civil
war
- (ab)use of the veto-power in the UN

April 1949 --> forming of NATO
- Harry Truman + 11 ministers of Foreign Policy (Treaty of Washington)
- aggression against one member = attack on all members
- first signatories: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, UK, USA
- 1951: Turkey & Greece (USSR feels surrounded by USA and its allies)

1955 --> Warsaw Pact
- USSR + Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany, Hungary, Poland &
Czechoslov.
- counter-NATO alliance with own collective defence system
- Iron Curtain (boundary that divided East- & West-Europe)

1.2 Pan-Europa
After WWI --> initiatives to establlish a more peaceful Europe
- cultural: idea of European unification before rise of nationalism
- political: conviction that nation alone is under-equipped
--> Jose Ortega y Gasset in ‘The Revolt of the Masses (1930)
- economic: Europe needs to remain competitive with USSR & USA

1923 --> Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi
- launches pan-European movement in
- economic cooperation in coal & mining industries

1928 --> Briant-Kellogg pact
- attempt to bind whole world to choose peaceful solutions

1.3 French-German rapprochement
Relationship between France & Germany --> delicate after WWII
--> Christian Democratic politicians convene on neutral territory in Geneva
--> Genfer Kreis: facilitated early diplomatic exchanges for European
integration
- Adenauer, CD-parties & Schuman’s fellow party members
--> 1947: the federalist Nouvelles Equipes Internationales

, Transnational political movements were forming
--> Liberal International & Mouvement Socialiste

Winston Churchill:
- British PM; strongly supported closer European cooperation
- 1946: speech in Zurich: proposed “US of Europe” to prevent future wars
- advocated for reconciliation between France & Germany (no major role
for UK)

Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967):
- catholic politician during Weimar Republic; opponent of Nazi regime
- fouding father of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1946: chairman of the CDU; 1949: elected as first chancellor of West-
Germany
- Wirstschaftswunder --> foundation for socially responsible market
- aimed to integrate West-Germany into Western community
- remaind in power until 1963, earning the nickname “Der Alte”




1.4 Benelux as an example
- september 1944: Bretton Woods Conference --> establishment of
Benelux
--> inspired by Belgium-Luxembour Economic Union (BLEU) of 1921
- 1932: agreement of Ouchy --> BLEU and Netherlands aimed at
economic cooperation addressing disadvantages for small countries
(failed)
- 1948: Benelux Treaty (customs union)
- 1958: evolved into economic union
- attempt to draw in France & Italy (Fritalux)
- autonomous institutions + introduced elements like monetary union & free
movement

Jean-Charles Snoy et d’Oppuers (1907-1991):
- signed Treaties of Rome for Belgium, together with Spaak & Rothschild in
1957
- became first Permanent Representative of Belgium to the EEC

Benelux today:
- Treaty was renewed in 2008 (name change to Benelux Union)
- reduced number of institutions
- promise of political integration was never realized

1.5 Marshall Plan

Connected book
 image
Steven van Hecke, Kamiel Vermeylen Why Europe?
Publisher: 08 mei 2023 ISBN: 9789401488129 Edition: 1

Document information

Study
Summarized whole book?
Yes
Uploaded on
July 26, 2026
Number of pages
66
Written in
2025/2026
Type
Summary
$8.44

Wrong document? Swap it for free Within 14 days of purchase and before downloading, you can choose a different document. You can simply spend the amount again.
Written by students who passed
Immediately available after payment
Read online or as PDF

Sold
0
Followers
0
Items
10
Last sold
-




Why students choose Stuvia

Created by fellow students, verified by reviews

Quality you can trust: written by students who passed their tests and reviewed by others who've used these notes.

Didn't get what you expected? Choose another document

No worries! You can instantly pick a different document that better fits what you're looking for.

Pay as you like, start learning right away

No subscription, no commitments. Pay the way you're used to via credit card and download your PDF document instantly.

Student with book image

“Bought, downloaded, and aced it. It really can be that simple.”

Alisha Student

Working on your references?

Create accurate citations in APA, MLA and Harvard with our free citation generator.

Working on your references?

Frequently asked questions