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Postwar settlements & the origins of the European Union

Postwar settlements & the origins of the European Union. National Conference 2008 January 17-19 at Memorial University “Federalism - Is It Working?” Guest Speakers (such as John Crosbie, Clyde Wells, Ryan Cleary) Panel Discussions

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Postwar settlements & the origins of the European Union

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  1. Postwar settlements & the origins of the European Union

  2. National Conference 2008 January 17-19 at Memorial University “Federalism - Is It Working?” Guest Speakers (such as John Crosbie, Clyde Wells, Ryan Cleary) Panel Discussions Social Events- Screech-In for visiting students, Pub Crawl, Banquet Delegate Package- t-shirt, scarf, bag, 3 meals and surprises! Student delegates from 8 provinces Just $50 for MUN students! All are welcome! Registration Forms can be picked up/dropped off at the POSC office (SN 2028) Sign our email list for more information!

  3. Understanding European Politics Factors: • Institutions and structures • Cleavages • Political forces • The past: • Does not necessarily shape the present (path dependency), • Does throw up problems & choices, parameters…

  4. Wars & depression as crucible • Dirty thirties & the expansion & elaboration of welfare states • WW II as interlude for planning, reflection, learning, institution-building, e.g • Beveridge report in UK • Detention camps & resistance movements produce new élan, determination not to repeat the past • Designs for postwar economic order

  5. Products: • New economic & political structures • Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates • GATT (later WTO) • United Nations • OECD • Council of Europe • EU • New policies & practices • Keynsian welfare state (KWS) • Demand management (from John Meynard Keynes • Expansion & elaboration of welfare states • From 1960s onward: unprecedented affluence & an end to zero-sum politics

  6. Shaping postwar Europe • Not everything turns out as intended • Successes & failures of ‘breakthrough’ efforts, e.g. • Netherlands • France • Fate of Germany: • Earlier intent: to return Germany to agrarian past, eliminating capacity to make war, cf. JCS 1040, Morgenthau Plan • Instead: partition, reconstruction & reindustrialization • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/europe/02/euro_borders/html/2.stm

  7. Building the EU • Diverse efforts to unite Europe: • Spinelli & European federalists • Pressure from the United States • Churchill • Brussels & Hague conferences (1948) • Jean Monnet & Robert Schuman • Outcomes - Multiple institutions • OEEC (forerunner of OECD) • Council of Europe (1948) • NATO (1949) • European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) & eventually EEC & European Union (`1951)

  8. Actual origins • Cold war & partition of Germany • Need for West Germany to re-industrialize • Need to do so in a way acceptable to France • Jean Monnet & the Schuman plan • Establish a transnational institutions – a high authority and a representative assembly – to govern a key structure • Neo-functionalism: expectation that success in one sector will produce spillovers to others

  9. Uniting Europe in fits and starts • ECSC established in 1951 • Failure of European Defense Community (1951-53) • Euratom & European Economic Community (EEC) in 1956 • Amalgamation: European Community • Single European Act (SEA 1985) • Maastrict Treaty (1991) & formation of the European Union • Schengen – end of border controls • Euro & Eurozone 11 (2001)

  10. Enlargements • The six: • France, Germany, Italy, Benelux • First enlargement, 1973 • UK, Ireland, Denmark • From 9 to 12 • Greece (1981), Spain, Portugal (1986) • From 12 to 15: Austria, Finland, Sweden • From 15 to 25 & 27: East Central Europe • Holdouts: Norway & Switzerland http://europa.eu/abc/maps/index_en.htm

  11. The EU & its institutions • Transnational structures: • The European Commission (Monnet’s High Authority) • The European Parliament • Monnet’s representative assembly • Directly elected since 1979 • The European Court of Justice • Intergovernmental structures: • The Council of Ministers • The European Council

  12. How Europe operates • Monnet method • Integration via small steps, agenda setting, elites reaching agreement • The Commission as agenda-setter (in good times) • The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers as legislative branches • The European Council as fixer • The European Court of Justice – builds Europe by asserting the primacy of EU law

  13. Strains and tensions • Among EU institutions: • Commission v. Council of Ministers & European Council • European Parliament v. Council of Ministers • Among member-states: disagreement about a wider or deeper Europe • Between citizens & elites: how much Europe is needed

  14. Bottom lines • Continued affluence – but not for everyone • Loss of direction & momentum • European Constitutional Convention • Drafts Constitutional Treaty • Torpedoed by 2005 French & Dutch referenda • 2007 Berlin accord, Lisbon treaty =salvage operations • EU nevertheless very much present: • supremacy of European law over national law • EU an arena in which all member-states must operate

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