
Europe's First Constitution
The European Political Community, 1952-1954
Richard T. Griffiths(Author)
I.B. Tauris (Publisher)
Published on 1. January 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
278 pages
978-1-903403-21-1 (ISBN)
Description
In may 2000, German foreign minister Joschka Fischer dramatically injected new life into the debate on the future course of integration by suggesting that a 'core' of the EU members should move ahead of the rest and negotiate a federal treaty among themselves. The fact that, in the early 1950s, the six founding members of the ECSC and the EEC had tried to do exactly that, has scarcely entered the discussion. This book rediscovers the history of the draft of European Political Community treaty that was completed in march 1953 but abandoned by the governments of the Six eighteen months later. This volume represents the first comprehensive study on Europe's first constitution drawing on the archives of all the participating states. The EPC episode involved discussions of joint defence policy, the framework for future economic integration, foreign policy coordination and the democratisation of European institutions. The book also draws a range of parallels between the situation today, where an overburdened European Union is ill-equipped for the challenge of accepting new members, and the situation in the early 1950s.
The challenges then were similar to those faced today, and the arguments then employed for and against closer integration bear an uncanny resemblance to those employed fifty years later. Professor Griffiths has written a study of the apst to inform the present, without sacrificing integrity as either an historian or a social scientist. This book rediscovers the history of the draft of European Political Community treaty that was completed in march 1953 but abandoned by the governments of the Six eighteen months later. This volume represents the first comprehensive study on Europe's first constitution drawing on the archives of all the participating states. The EPC episode involved discussions of joint defence policy, the framework for future economic integration, foreign policy coordination and the democratisation of European institutions. The book also draws a range of parallels between the situation today, where an overburdened European Union is ill-equipped for the challenge of accepting new members, and the situation in the early 1950s
The challenges then were similar to those faced today, and the arguments then employed for and against closer integration bear an uncanny resemblance to those employed fifty years later. Professor Griffiths has written a study of the apst to inform the present, without sacrificing integrity as either an historian or a social scientist. This book rediscovers the history of the draft of European Political Community treaty that was completed in march 1953 but abandoned by the governments of the Six eighteen months later. This volume represents the first comprehensive study on Europe's first constitution drawing on the archives of all the participating states. The EPC episode involved discussions of joint defence policy, the framework for future economic integration, foreign policy coordination and the democratisation of European institutions. The book also draws a range of parallels between the situation today, where an overburdened European Union is ill-equipped for the challenge of accepting new members, and the situation in the early 1950s
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
bibliography
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 148 mm
Weight
446 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-903403-21-1 (9781903403211)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Challenges - then and now; from the Council of Europe to the Luxembourg Resolution; the ad hoc assembly and the draft treaty for a European Community; from the Luxembourg Resolution to the IGC; the IGC - the economic clauses; the IGC - the institutional clauses. Appendices: changes in European government 1950-1954; the draft scheme for a European Community; archivalia.