The Construction of European Unity: From Marshall Plan to Present
The Construction of European Unity
From Marshall Plan to the EEC
Location
After World War II, European cities and infrastructure were destroyed, cropland devastated, and economies severely weakened. The United States, in a move of political and economic empowerment, launched the Marshall Plan in 1947, an aid program to rebuild the European continent. In 1948, the OEEC (Organization for European Economic Co-operation) was created to administer the American economic aid. In 1950, after the Schuman Declaration, the idea of European integration started becoming a reality. The primary objectives were to ensure peace, economic unification through a borderless internal market, and promote social cohesion.
Phases
In 1951, the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community) was formed by France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Its essentially economic nature aimed to establish a common market for coal and steel, two crucial industrial materials at the time. In 1957, the Treaty of Rome was signed, establishing the EEC (European Economic Community) with the goal of creating a common European market, achieving a customs union, and ensuring the free movement of capital, goods, and workers. Also in 1957, EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) was created for nuclear energy development. The EEC, founded by the six original countries, later expanded to include the UK, Ireland, and Denmark (1973), Greece (1981), and Spain and Portugal (1986).
Creation of the European Union
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw profound changes in Europe. In 1986, the EEC member countries signed the Single European Act, which came into force a year later. This act created a larger, more integrated economic space (the single market), strengthened political cooperation in research, technology, and the environment, and improved the EEC’s policy structures. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty amended and supplemented the Treaty of Rome, establishing the Economic and Monetary Union and the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It also expressed the will to advance political and social union, and the EEC was renamed the European Union (EU).
The Present European Union
The EU is an economic powerhouse: the first in world trade and finance, the first consumer market with 455 million people, and boasting a GDP similar to that of the U.S. It is a model of coexistence that has united historically rival states with shared interests and common policies. It requires all members to respect human rights and promote environmental protection. The EU is also the biggest investor in development aid to the developing world.