Suchergebnisse

The European Community (the correct legal term in trade matters, hereafter EC) is still a recent and ongoing process. Fifty years is a short time span for such an endeavour (Annex I lists the 17 Treaties that have formed its legal basis).3 It is strictly an economic process because a straight forward political unification of Europe was out of reach, then, now, and for the decades to come. This ambiguous relation between economics and politics explains why the EC commercial policy often received the status of a foreign policy instrument. This was the case in the EC relation with former colonies (during the 1960s), developing countries (the 1970s), the Central European countries formerly in the Soviet sphere (the 1990s), and neighbours or emerging economies (the 2000s).

The European Community (the correct legal term in trade matters, hereafter EC) is still a recent and ongoing process. Fifty years is a short time span for such an endeavour (Annex I lists the 17 Treaties that have formed its legal basis).3 It is strictly an economic process because a straight forward political unification of Europe was out of reach, then, now, and for the decades to come. This ambiguous relation between economics and politics explains why the EC commercial policy often received the status of a foreign policy instrument. This was the case in the EC relation with former colonies (during the 1960s), developing countries (the 1970s), the Central European countries formerly in the Soviet sphere (the 1990s), and neighbours or emerging economies (the 2000s).

The creation of the European Union as we know it began with the conclusion of the Second World War. At that time there was a call for the creation of a united Europe with the intention of preventing future wars among the nations. As a result of the war, Europe was split into Eastern and Western factions. As the Western nations began to form the Council of Europe in 1950, there was a call for further cooperation. On May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister, called for a deeper cooperation among European nations (this would be known as the Schuman Plan). This day would later be honored as "Europe Day," which honors peace and unity within Europe. Six nations responded to this call. On April 18, 1951, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands sign a treaty that forms the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which ran the countries' coal and steel under a united management. The ECSC countries followed up by signing the Treaty of Rome on March 25, 1957, and this would create the European Economic Community (EEC). As a result, people, goods, and other services can now move freely across the borders. ; https://uknowledge.uky.edu/world_europe_journey/1000/thumbnail.jpg

Cover -- Half Title -- Series Page -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Tables and Figures -- Preface -- List of Contributors -- PART ONE Introduction -- 1 Introduction: The Challenge of European Integration -- PART TWO The International Economy -- 2 The International Economy: Historical Perspectives and Future Prospects -- Comments -- Comments: Some Risks of a Regional Future -- PART THREE Preferential Trade Arrangements -- 3 Preferential Trade Arrangements and the GATT: EC 1992 as Rogue or Role Model? -- Comments -- Comments -- 4 Regional Arrangements: GATT, Rules and Property Rights -- 5 Regional Blocs: Policy Coordination and Trade Strategy -- 6 The New Regionalism and Developing Economies -- PART FOUR Monetary Integration -- 7 The Macroeconomics of Currency Zones -- Comments -- 8 Some Often Neglected Aspects of the Political Economy of European Monetary Integration -- 9 What Went Wrong with the EMS and European Monetary Union -- 10 Ten Days that Shook the EC -- PART FIVE The Political Dimensions of European Integration -- 11 The Single European Act, the Maastricht Accord and the Emerging European Polity -- Comments -- Comments: Has European Integration Stalled? -- Comments -- About the Book and Editors.

At this point, the European Economic Community began to expand. Plans for a common currency began and an exchange rate mechanism was created for the current rates to fluctuate against each other. The first expansion was January 1, 1973 when Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom joined the EEC. This would be the first of many expansions. On June 7-10, 1979, EEC citizens were able to directly elect members of the EEC parliament for the first time. Originally, they were delegated by national parliaments. As a result, parliament's influence raised. In the 80s, the EEC expanded twice. On January 1, 1981, Greece joined and on January 1, 1986, Spain and Portugal entered into the Union. On February 17, 1986, the Single European Act was enacted, and it hoped to create a single market among EEC countries. It would also give more power to parliament and increased powers in environmental protection. The late 80s were also significant for the collapse of Communism in the Eastern European countries, and unification of Germany. ; https://uknowledge.uky.edu/world_europe_journey/1002/thumbnail.jpg