THE FIRST STEPS OF THE EUROPEAN

PROJECT (1950s-1960s)

I-The birth of the European project

"If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there would be no limit to the happiness, to the prosperity and glory which its three or four hundred million people would enjoy... We must build a kind of United States of Europe."

-WISTON CHURCHILL

After the Second World War, Europe was traumatized, it had lost its statue of colonial power and economic leader. The desire to avoid a new war and the expansion of communism quickly took hold. The main goal was to rebuild a prosperous Europe through a union of state. The ideal of a political Europe is an old idea supported by many Europeans (for example Winston Churchill as he said it in his Zurich speech), and during WW2 by the resistance fighters willing to unite soldiers and civilians against Nazis.

The USA took part in the project and helped Europe to recover, 13 billion $ were given to the continent with the Marshall Plan (1947) which was a financial program established by George Marshall.

In May 1948, 800 leaders from 18 countries met at the Conference of the Hagues to give birth to a project of political Union between European states. In May 1949, the Council of Europe was created, it was the first supranational organization in Europe. The Council of Europe’s aim was to promote democracy and to respect the Human Rights. But the project was seen from 2 different perspectives and created an opposition. On one hand, there were the Unionists who were in favor of respect of the Nation states. On the other hand, the Federalists were advocating for an international Europe with States that would abandoned part of their sovereignty.

II-Working toward a deeper economic

integration

Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. it will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.

-ROBERT SCHUMAN

The European project aimed to a deeper political and economic integration. In May 9th, 1950, the Schuman Declaration, set up an industrial cooperation in order to make the economy grow. For example, France and Germany were sharing key resources of steel and coal under the governance of a Higher Authority.

The signature of the Treaties of Paris in April 1951 by 6 Nations: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg aimed to rebuild the economy by transferring a part of the state’s power like economic decisions to a supranational organization.

However,In 1954, the refusal of the European defense by the French assembly stopped the project of a political Europe.This decision shows the reluctance of states to give up their power.

The EDC (European Defense Community) was a failure for Europe, but in the 1960s, Europe renewed itself by opting for deeper economic cooperation. The Treaties of Rome in 1957 brought concrete actions and achievements of the economic cooperation. Europe became real for the Europeans with the Euratom (European Atomic Energy Community, shared atomic research). The increasement of the European power was achieved thanks to the creation of the internal and external market led by the EEC and the Four freedoms (free trade of the goods, capitals, people and services). Therefore there was also a decrement of the national sovereignty.

The integration between the 6 member-States became stronger thanks to the creation of supranational institutions. Europe had found a balance between unionism and federalism by compromising between national and common interests (Triangle between Council Ministers, Commission and Parliament ).

So, the growing economic alliance between Nations gave birth to stable political institutions, pushing forward the project of a political Europe.