Charles de Gaulle and European cooperation
- Fouchet plan 1961-63
- British membership? 1961-63
- Empty chair crisis 1965-66
19th Century
- Age of nationalism
- Relative peace since Napoleonic wars (concert of Europe)
- Smaller conflicts and conflict had been exported to colonies
- Power politics flanked by the peace movement
WWI
- Watershed
- Concert of Europe did not work
- Major conflict (mutual suicide)
- Experience of cooperation between allies during war
- Experience of state intervention in the economy (during and after WWI)
- Position of Europe in the world changed
Interwar period
- While power politics still dominant, international relations ‘democratized’
- More influence of populations
- Multialteralisation
- After European mutual suicide: potential for cooperation
- Many types of cooperation proposed
Politic and/or economic
State or private-led
Intergovernmental and/or supranational
Among which states
- Depression made cooperation both more necessary and more difficult
WWII and after
- Another massive conflict
- Further experience of
- State intervention
- Interallied cooperation
- New enemy: USSR – Cold War
- US pressure to prevent further European conflict
- Multiple avenues to cooperation followed
Marshall plan
- Most linked to the Cold War
- Cold War context
- Experience of European coordination, if not cooperation
- OEEC
- Intergovernmental method
Advantages
Disadvantages
1
,Council of Europe
- Bottom-up initiative
- Supranational potential
- Large group of countries
- Broad reach
- Federal attempts quelled
ECSC
- State led initiative
- Supranational organization
- Limited group of countries
- Specific sector
EEC
- Supranational: commission was the bole work of this organization
- Intergovernmental/national pressure was still there, but it was the first few years more
in the background
- EEC development in 1960s: two stories
Positive story of solid achievement
Negative story of reactive nationalism and stagnation
Positive story
- 1957-58 start with nothing
- No civil service: set up
- No procedures: community method devised. Relations with the member states had to
be shaped
- Customs union created
- CAP created
- Both 18 months ahead of schedule
- Kennedy round of GATT tariff reductions
- Yaoundé convention with former colonies
- Enter major set of talks with UK, Denmark and Ireland
Commission and EEC achieved a lot.
Kennedy Round
- Had a massive impact in world trade
- Creation of EEC might lead to problems for US trade
- Kennedy proposed the Trade Expansion Act, passed in 1962
- TEA gave the president unprecedented powers to negotiate tariff reductions between
1962-1967: there was a clear limit
- Kennedy Round: 66 nations were engaged, 80% of world trade was involved
- Outcome
Biggest tariff cuts on industrial products ever
EEC managed to exclude its agriculture
Developing countries were exempted from reciprocity
Negative story is largely set around Charles de Gaulle. He was career army officer; leader of
Free French in 1940/44; president of provisionary government 1945/46; opposition,
withdrawal from politics; 1958 elected president of the Fifth Republic; 1966 withdrew France
from NATO command; 1968 Student riots; 1969 resignation (after defeat in referendum)
2
, De Gaulle and Europa
- Grandeur of France
- Very anti-Atlanticist (NATO, legacy of WWII). He saw France as a winner and should
be treated equally
- Preference for intergovernmental cooperation (over supranational)
- Gaullist idea of a Europe of independent states, Europe of the peoples:
intergovernmental Europa. Three episodes where these themes are coming to the fore
Fouchet plan
UK Membership
The Empty Chair Crisis
Fouchet Plan
- De Gaulle’s best friend was Adenauer. De Gaulle proposes European Political Union
to Adenauer, july 1960
- Study group of Six is formed, chaired by Fouchet (French ambassador to Denmark)
- July 1961 Political community, but no decision on how or what
- Political community, not of the Spaak and Spinelli kind
October 1961 Fouchet Plan. Indissoluble union of States based on
- Intergovernmental cooperation
- Respect for the identity of Member States and their peoples
- Cooperation, alongside EEC for foreign policy, defense, science, culture and human
rights
- Council of Heads of State/Government meeting three times per year, unanimity role
- Assembly of the Communities merely advisory
Reactions to the Fouchet Plan
- Fear of French domination of foreign policy
- Rejection of strengthening of intergovernmental character.
- Strongest opponent was the Netherlands, Luns, reluctant to
Complicate the enlargement negotiations with the UK
Jeopardize the discussion between Europe and America on NATO
They didn’t know that De Gaulle was terugtrekken from the NATO.
Fouchet Plan 2
- All members come with amendments
- De Gaulle abandoned compromise reached
- 19 January 1962, Fouchet Plan 2
Grant the Union the economic powers that had previously been the prerogative
of the EEC
EEC becoming subordinate to the intergovernmental cooperation body
No reference to NATO
- Benelux said that you had to admit UK
- Spring 1962: Fouchet plan collapses
You see the two sides hardening their positions: France and the other Five.
Fouchet Plan
- Seen as a radical break with supranationality
- Today: very close to CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy)
- Failure sparked off a series of crises
3
- Fouchet plan 1961-63
- British membership? 1961-63
- Empty chair crisis 1965-66
19th Century
- Age of nationalism
- Relative peace since Napoleonic wars (concert of Europe)
- Smaller conflicts and conflict had been exported to colonies
- Power politics flanked by the peace movement
WWI
- Watershed
- Concert of Europe did not work
- Major conflict (mutual suicide)
- Experience of cooperation between allies during war
- Experience of state intervention in the economy (during and after WWI)
- Position of Europe in the world changed
Interwar period
- While power politics still dominant, international relations ‘democratized’
- More influence of populations
- Multialteralisation
- After European mutual suicide: potential for cooperation
- Many types of cooperation proposed
Politic and/or economic
State or private-led
Intergovernmental and/or supranational
Among which states
- Depression made cooperation both more necessary and more difficult
WWII and after
- Another massive conflict
- Further experience of
- State intervention
- Interallied cooperation
- New enemy: USSR – Cold War
- US pressure to prevent further European conflict
- Multiple avenues to cooperation followed
Marshall plan
- Most linked to the Cold War
- Cold War context
- Experience of European coordination, if not cooperation
- OEEC
- Intergovernmental method
Advantages
Disadvantages
1
,Council of Europe
- Bottom-up initiative
- Supranational potential
- Large group of countries
- Broad reach
- Federal attempts quelled
ECSC
- State led initiative
- Supranational organization
- Limited group of countries
- Specific sector
EEC
- Supranational: commission was the bole work of this organization
- Intergovernmental/national pressure was still there, but it was the first few years more
in the background
- EEC development in 1960s: two stories
Positive story of solid achievement
Negative story of reactive nationalism and stagnation
Positive story
- 1957-58 start with nothing
- No civil service: set up
- No procedures: community method devised. Relations with the member states had to
be shaped
- Customs union created
- CAP created
- Both 18 months ahead of schedule
- Kennedy round of GATT tariff reductions
- Yaoundé convention with former colonies
- Enter major set of talks with UK, Denmark and Ireland
Commission and EEC achieved a lot.
Kennedy Round
- Had a massive impact in world trade
- Creation of EEC might lead to problems for US trade
- Kennedy proposed the Trade Expansion Act, passed in 1962
- TEA gave the president unprecedented powers to negotiate tariff reductions between
1962-1967: there was a clear limit
- Kennedy Round: 66 nations were engaged, 80% of world trade was involved
- Outcome
Biggest tariff cuts on industrial products ever
EEC managed to exclude its agriculture
Developing countries were exempted from reciprocity
Negative story is largely set around Charles de Gaulle. He was career army officer; leader of
Free French in 1940/44; president of provisionary government 1945/46; opposition,
withdrawal from politics; 1958 elected president of the Fifth Republic; 1966 withdrew France
from NATO command; 1968 Student riots; 1969 resignation (after defeat in referendum)
2
, De Gaulle and Europa
- Grandeur of France
- Very anti-Atlanticist (NATO, legacy of WWII). He saw France as a winner and should
be treated equally
- Preference for intergovernmental cooperation (over supranational)
- Gaullist idea of a Europe of independent states, Europe of the peoples:
intergovernmental Europa. Three episodes where these themes are coming to the fore
Fouchet plan
UK Membership
The Empty Chair Crisis
Fouchet Plan
- De Gaulle’s best friend was Adenauer. De Gaulle proposes European Political Union
to Adenauer, july 1960
- Study group of Six is formed, chaired by Fouchet (French ambassador to Denmark)
- July 1961 Political community, but no decision on how or what
- Political community, not of the Spaak and Spinelli kind
October 1961 Fouchet Plan. Indissoluble union of States based on
- Intergovernmental cooperation
- Respect for the identity of Member States and their peoples
- Cooperation, alongside EEC for foreign policy, defense, science, culture and human
rights
- Council of Heads of State/Government meeting three times per year, unanimity role
- Assembly of the Communities merely advisory
Reactions to the Fouchet Plan
- Fear of French domination of foreign policy
- Rejection of strengthening of intergovernmental character.
- Strongest opponent was the Netherlands, Luns, reluctant to
Complicate the enlargement negotiations with the UK
Jeopardize the discussion between Europe and America on NATO
They didn’t know that De Gaulle was terugtrekken from the NATO.
Fouchet Plan 2
- All members come with amendments
- De Gaulle abandoned compromise reached
- 19 January 1962, Fouchet Plan 2
Grant the Union the economic powers that had previously been the prerogative
of the EEC
EEC becoming subordinate to the intergovernmental cooperation body
No reference to NATO
- Benelux said that you had to admit UK
- Spring 1962: Fouchet plan collapses
You see the two sides hardening their positions: France and the other Five.
Fouchet Plan
- Seen as a radical break with supranationality
- Today: very close to CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy)
- Failure sparked off a series of crises
3
