PSPEU
Class 1: Introduction
1. Why study European integration?
3 Key reasons:
® 1st reason: Historical reason
o European integration:
§ THE historical phenomenon of postwar Europe
§ Key to make sense of European history in the 20th century
§ Understand where we come from (& not forget!) + prevent it from
happening again (wars)
§ => Unfortunately, many of the ppl who remember the war or nastiness
of living postwar are dying off. Younger generations don’t understand
the level of horror that ppl from that time faced
§ To create peace & unity between EU states (PEACE PROJECT)
-> response to 2 world wars -> most destructive period for EU nations
in history of modern world
® 2nd reason: Political reason -> place of debate
o European-level policy-making
-> dealing w BIG problems (small countries would struggle)
o More than technocracy
(= a system of governance where decision-makers are selected on the basis of
technological knowledge OR any portion of a bureaucracy run by
technologists)
§ E.g. subsidies for farmers, policy on trade
-> common foreign policy to stand stronger in the world
® 3rd reason: Educational reason -> how we debate
o European decision-making -> sometimes CONTROVERSIAL
-> need for informed debate
§ Choice unified – divided
§ Avoid misinformation, unhealthy populism, divisive politics
1
, Class 2. A short history of European integration
1. History of European integration
» European history of 20th C
® Started w very early seeds, treaties, bargaining (before WWII)
=> grew to much larger organization, based on security cooperation, economic
integration (+ needed to tackle immense diversity in Europe)
® Ultimately about ‘high politics’
-> highly political about how we want to govern Europe through the European
institutions
® -> economic integration
2. Some founding fathers
Jean Monnet:
® Influential French advisor
® Main founding father of the EU project (ECSC)
® ‘The Father of Europe’
® Introduced idea to win war by working closely together w allied forces
on distribution of logistics + first ideas on European integration
® Secretary-general of League of Nations
® Saw you need supranational organisation to prevent nations from
only working in their self-interest
George C. Marshall:
® American general
® Secretary of State
® “Marshall plan” -> economically stabilize various cooperating parts of
Europe -> fuelled need for European integration
Robert Schuman:
® French foreign minister; realised there was coal & steel needed to
finance war
® Proposed European Economic Community (EEC)
® “Schuman Declaration” (1950) -> to propose European integration
-> French & German production of coal & steel under one common
High Authority -> open to participation of West European countries
® One of the founders of EU, Council of Europe & NATO
2
,Paul-Henri Spaak:
® Belgian foreign minister during WWII
® Idea of BeNeLux as customs union
® Spaak Committee (see later)
® Influential role in preparing Treaty of Rome (-> EEC)
-> Spaak-report
2nd world war -> “The Big Reset”
-> everything in Europe started to change
3. Economic integration & Security cooperation
Economic integration:
-> initiated by US -> later pulled out & continued by
European nations
® Marshall speech (1947):
o Foundations for Marshall Plan
o America: willing to assist Europe
w financial support to rebuild
their economic system
IF those countries form a
corporate organization to improve their economies in the long run
o USSR counterpart: Molotov Plan (not as effective)
® Treaty of Rome (started in 1957):
o European solution to the Marshall plan
o Creation of EEC, Euratom
® Single European Act (1986):
o First major revision of Treaty of Rome
o Objective of single market
-> better economic/political stability
ð The European Union today -> product of Treaty of Rome & Treaty of Maastricht
3
,Security cooperation:
® Dunkirk Treaty (1947): France & Britain work together on security
® Brussels Treaty (1948): BeNeLux joins
‘Western European Union’
® NATO:
o Washington Treaty
o Art. 5: ‘if one gets attacked, all get attacked’
o Alliance doesn’t do anything unless attacked -> all nations respond
o Europeans: ‘maybe it’s good to keep America close so that sth like WWII
doesn’t happen again’
=> America co-founded NATO
o The European has its treaties and NATO has its strategies
European Recovery Program (aka Marshall Plan)
® George Kennan: argued that it’s up to the leaders to put forth a more positive &
secure plan than before
-> the “Long Telegram” (1946) (sent from Moscow)
-> 8.000 words
o Effort to outbid soviet competition (‘ideological competition’)
-> lessen communist influence in Europe
o If US does nth -> SU increases influence among European countries
ð US proposed Marshall Plan
® Basis for what later became OECD (Organisation for European Cooperation &
Development) -> distributing the funds of the Marshall Plan
4. On Coal and Steel
Treaty of Paris (1951) -> creation of ECSC
-> Coal & steel needed for weapons/munition => if you work together on these, can’t go to
war anymore, no one has own coal/steel
ECSC institutions (-> idea of Monnet):
® High Authority (later: merged into European Commission):
o Supranational powers
® Council of Ministers (= Council of the European Union):
o Harmonisation role between MS (control High Authority)
® Common Assembly (European Parliament):
o Advisory role
® Court of Justice:
o Legal arbitration
4
, 5. The Spaak Report
® Provides inputs for Treaty of Rome (1957)
® More intra-European trades & more prosperity for all countries involved
® Leads to development of the EEC & institutions
-> kinda similar to Coal & Steel Commission
-> except for a commission being added
-> focus: establishment of common market (goal: customs union)
EEC Institutions:
® Commission (instead of Higher Authority; supranational)
® Council of Ministers (harmonisation)
o Nation-states can have their say -> amend, stop, implement rules
® Assembly (advisory)
® Court of Justice (legal arbitration)
Common Market:
-> key goal of Treaty of Rome
-> everything is connected & accessible
® Tariff removal (no custom tariffs):
o Free trade area
® Common external tariff (no matter the entry point -> tariff to import is the same):
o Trade policy
® Competition rules
o Same rules for everyone, free market -> fair competition
-> nation-states can’t just start funding businesses to make them stronger
(exceptions tho -> below)
® Promotion of free movement (ppl, goods, services)
EEC Policies:
® Common Market (incl. trade & competition)
® Common Agricultural Policy
o Exception of competition rules (above) -> farmers get subsidies under common
European law
® Common Transport Policy
® Economic policy coordination (balance of payments)
® Creation of European Social Fund
® Creation of European Development Fund (cfr. Monnet’s call for democratization of
education in Europe)
5
Class 1: Introduction
1. Why study European integration?
3 Key reasons:
® 1st reason: Historical reason
o European integration:
§ THE historical phenomenon of postwar Europe
§ Key to make sense of European history in the 20th century
§ Understand where we come from (& not forget!) + prevent it from
happening again (wars)
§ => Unfortunately, many of the ppl who remember the war or nastiness
of living postwar are dying off. Younger generations don’t understand
the level of horror that ppl from that time faced
§ To create peace & unity between EU states (PEACE PROJECT)
-> response to 2 world wars -> most destructive period for EU nations
in history of modern world
® 2nd reason: Political reason -> place of debate
o European-level policy-making
-> dealing w BIG problems (small countries would struggle)
o More than technocracy
(= a system of governance where decision-makers are selected on the basis of
technological knowledge OR any portion of a bureaucracy run by
technologists)
§ E.g. subsidies for farmers, policy on trade
-> common foreign policy to stand stronger in the world
® 3rd reason: Educational reason -> how we debate
o European decision-making -> sometimes CONTROVERSIAL
-> need for informed debate
§ Choice unified – divided
§ Avoid misinformation, unhealthy populism, divisive politics
1
, Class 2. A short history of European integration
1. History of European integration
» European history of 20th C
® Started w very early seeds, treaties, bargaining (before WWII)
=> grew to much larger organization, based on security cooperation, economic
integration (+ needed to tackle immense diversity in Europe)
® Ultimately about ‘high politics’
-> highly political about how we want to govern Europe through the European
institutions
® -> economic integration
2. Some founding fathers
Jean Monnet:
® Influential French advisor
® Main founding father of the EU project (ECSC)
® ‘The Father of Europe’
® Introduced idea to win war by working closely together w allied forces
on distribution of logistics + first ideas on European integration
® Secretary-general of League of Nations
® Saw you need supranational organisation to prevent nations from
only working in their self-interest
George C. Marshall:
® American general
® Secretary of State
® “Marshall plan” -> economically stabilize various cooperating parts of
Europe -> fuelled need for European integration
Robert Schuman:
® French foreign minister; realised there was coal & steel needed to
finance war
® Proposed European Economic Community (EEC)
® “Schuman Declaration” (1950) -> to propose European integration
-> French & German production of coal & steel under one common
High Authority -> open to participation of West European countries
® One of the founders of EU, Council of Europe & NATO
2
,Paul-Henri Spaak:
® Belgian foreign minister during WWII
® Idea of BeNeLux as customs union
® Spaak Committee (see later)
® Influential role in preparing Treaty of Rome (-> EEC)
-> Spaak-report
2nd world war -> “The Big Reset”
-> everything in Europe started to change
3. Economic integration & Security cooperation
Economic integration:
-> initiated by US -> later pulled out & continued by
European nations
® Marshall speech (1947):
o Foundations for Marshall Plan
o America: willing to assist Europe
w financial support to rebuild
their economic system
IF those countries form a
corporate organization to improve their economies in the long run
o USSR counterpart: Molotov Plan (not as effective)
® Treaty of Rome (started in 1957):
o European solution to the Marshall plan
o Creation of EEC, Euratom
® Single European Act (1986):
o First major revision of Treaty of Rome
o Objective of single market
-> better economic/political stability
ð The European Union today -> product of Treaty of Rome & Treaty of Maastricht
3
,Security cooperation:
® Dunkirk Treaty (1947): France & Britain work together on security
® Brussels Treaty (1948): BeNeLux joins
‘Western European Union’
® NATO:
o Washington Treaty
o Art. 5: ‘if one gets attacked, all get attacked’
o Alliance doesn’t do anything unless attacked -> all nations respond
o Europeans: ‘maybe it’s good to keep America close so that sth like WWII
doesn’t happen again’
=> America co-founded NATO
o The European has its treaties and NATO has its strategies
European Recovery Program (aka Marshall Plan)
® George Kennan: argued that it’s up to the leaders to put forth a more positive &
secure plan than before
-> the “Long Telegram” (1946) (sent from Moscow)
-> 8.000 words
o Effort to outbid soviet competition (‘ideological competition’)
-> lessen communist influence in Europe
o If US does nth -> SU increases influence among European countries
ð US proposed Marshall Plan
® Basis for what later became OECD (Organisation for European Cooperation &
Development) -> distributing the funds of the Marshall Plan
4. On Coal and Steel
Treaty of Paris (1951) -> creation of ECSC
-> Coal & steel needed for weapons/munition => if you work together on these, can’t go to
war anymore, no one has own coal/steel
ECSC institutions (-> idea of Monnet):
® High Authority (later: merged into European Commission):
o Supranational powers
® Council of Ministers (= Council of the European Union):
o Harmonisation role between MS (control High Authority)
® Common Assembly (European Parliament):
o Advisory role
® Court of Justice:
o Legal arbitration
4
, 5. The Spaak Report
® Provides inputs for Treaty of Rome (1957)
® More intra-European trades & more prosperity for all countries involved
® Leads to development of the EEC & institutions
-> kinda similar to Coal & Steel Commission
-> except for a commission being added
-> focus: establishment of common market (goal: customs union)
EEC Institutions:
® Commission (instead of Higher Authority; supranational)
® Council of Ministers (harmonisation)
o Nation-states can have their say -> amend, stop, implement rules
® Assembly (advisory)
® Court of Justice (legal arbitration)
Common Market:
-> key goal of Treaty of Rome
-> everything is connected & accessible
® Tariff removal (no custom tariffs):
o Free trade area
® Common external tariff (no matter the entry point -> tariff to import is the same):
o Trade policy
® Competition rules
o Same rules for everyone, free market -> fair competition
-> nation-states can’t just start funding businesses to make them stronger
(exceptions tho -> below)
® Promotion of free movement (ppl, goods, services)
EEC Policies:
® Common Market (incl. trade & competition)
® Common Agricultural Policy
o Exception of competition rules (above) -> farmers get subsidies under common
European law
® Common Transport Policy
® Economic policy coordination (balance of payments)
® Creation of European Social Fund
® Creation of European Development Fund (cfr. Monnet’s call for democratization of
education in Europe)
5
