Introduction to International Relations

1
Introduction to International Relations

• Week 17
• Regionalization European integration

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Content

• Early moves towards European integration.
• Early developments (Benelux Customs Union,
  Council of Europe, ECSC)
• Main theoretical approaches to integration.
• Cover major stages in EU development

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Early steps towards Integration

• Pre-dated World War 2.
• 1929 Brand Stresseman
• Strengthened by the effects of War
• 1944 Geneva Declaration
• Based on national interest

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Phases of integration

• Interest in integration after WW2 - and
  development of - CoE, ECSC, EEC
• General progress with integration through 1960's
  into 1970's
• Economic shocks of 1970's reduce states interest
  in further integration
• Renewed interest in the mid -1980's - as the way
  to help the continent out of economic malaise

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Benelux Customs Union

• Agreement in 1944 for co-operation to stimulate
  economies.
• Goal to establish a Common External Tariff
• Removal internal tariff barriers
• No political element

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Council of Europe

• Co-operation conditional to being beneficial for
  participants - the minimalist position.
• The maximalists wanted the CoE to become a
  constituent assembly for Europe based upon union
  of the states
• Main institutions
• Council of Ministers
• Parliamentary Assembly
• Support Secretariat

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Strands to integration

• Supranationality extent to which national
  sovereignty is replaced by its pooling or
  sharing and replacement with with common action
  and/or policy.
• Inter-governmentalism where decision-making is
  based on national government positions and the
  interests they adopt.

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European Coal Steel Community

• Brainchild of Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman
• Institutions High Authority, Council of
  Ministers, Assembly and Court of Justice
• To establish a common market in coal and steal.
  
• Required
• The removal of import and export restrictions
• Elimination of state subsidies
• Abolition of restrictive practices (special
  delivery or payment terms etc)

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European Economic Community

• to establish the foundations of an ever closer
  union among the people of Europe"
• of "ensuring the economic and social progress of
  their countries"
• by means of "improving the living and working
  conditions of the people"
• through the "harmonious development of economic
  activities

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European Economic Community

• Pursuing a political end (ever closer union) to
  be achieved by the economic means.
• 2 principles pursued
• Removal of barriers to free trade
• This would allow the economic law of comparative
  advantage to take effect
• Main institutions
• Commission (the locomotive power for
  integration)
• Council of Ministers
• Assembly
• Court of Justice

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Integration Theory - Neo-functionalism

• David Mitrany - Functionalism
• Ernst Haas - Neo-functionalism
• Spillover
• Functional
• Technical
• Political

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Integration Theory - Inter-governmentalism

• More popular as neo-functionalism lost ground in
  1970s
• State centric model of integration.
• States and state integration that is key to
  intergovernmental approach
• Related to realist theories

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The Empty Chair crisis

• 7 month crisis that really had a 30 plus year
  effect
• 1965 De Gaulle unhappy with way supra-national
  elements of EEC are developing.
• Effects
• Institutionalized the role of disagreement
• Added eight to the inter-governmental elements of
  EEC (Council of Ministers)
• Slowed decision making process

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Achievements of EEC by 1970s

• CET implemented
• Common Agricultural Policy developed
• First enlargement (UK, Eire and Denmark) managed.

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Problems facing EEC into 1980s

• A general economic malaise
• Original goals (free movement of goods, services,
  capital and people) not materializing.
• CAP was gradually becoming out of control.
• Imbalances in the Community budget.Most of it
  spent on CAP
• Decision-making very slow and cumbersome
• Political element of the Community had not
  developed sufficiently to manage the economic
  problems that the EEC was now facing.

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Economic Advance

• 1986 Single European Act
• Single Market Programme
• Single Currency
• Enlargement
• 1973 9 UK, Denmark, Eire
• 1981 10 Greece
• 1986 12 Spain Portugal
• 1995 15 Sweden, Austria, Finland
• 2004 25 Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic,
  Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania,
  Estonia, Malta, Cyprus
• 2007 27 Bulgaria Romania

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Issues of enlargement

• Ongoing process linked to all other policy issues
  and institutional reform
• should ask questions about the direction we are
  heading
• Widening or deepening?
• Are we approaching our limits of current design?
• Size of Commission, Council of Ministers, voting
  weights, European Parliament

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Conclusions

• Integration based on national interest - economic
• supranational and intergovernmental approaches
• After initial progress 10-15 years malaise into
  1980s - weak economies and lack of political
  will
• Rapid advance with SMP, the Euro and enlargement
  from 1990s into 2005
• Created a large and very successful economic and
  political power (less so)