European Political Community
The European Political Community ( EPC ) was the first attempt to achieve a comprehensive political integration of European states. The six former members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC or Coal and Steel Union ) should take part. The project failed due to the resistance of the French National Assembly in the context of the ratification of the European Defense Community (EDC).
prehistory
On September 10, 1952, the Foreign Ministers decided at the meeting of the Council of the ECSC that a constitution for a European Political Community had to be drawn up. The EPG should be responsible for the coal and steel industry and defense, and it should regulate the foreign policy of the member states. Further objectives were the development of a common internal market as well as the improvement of the standard of living and the increase of jobs. All of this should be done in two years and brought together with the EKGS and EVG.
Negotiations and failure of the project
The draft constitution, which comprised 117 articles and was submitted to the council on March 10, 1953, provided for a parliament with two chambers, an executive council , a council of national ministers, a court of justice and an economic and social council. Overall, the draft represents a mixture of supranational and federal elements. The directly elected parliament and the executive council are supranational elements, while the council of national ministers is assigned to the federal idea.
The draft EPG was approved. The 1953 negotiations on the scope of the EPG did not lead to a conclusion. In March 1954, France proposed postponing the negotiations, but it was not approved.
In the French National Assembly, the European Defense Community failed , so the EPC was deprived of its foundation. To pursue this idea, the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAG or Euratom) were set in motion, which later came into force.
See also
Web links
- Draft contract for EPG of March 10, 1953
- Sources for the elaboration of the 'European Political Community' can be found in the 'Assemblée ad hoc' and in the 'Johannes Westhoff' collection in the EU's historical archive in Florence
literature
- Werner Weidenfeld, Wolfgang Wessels (ed.): Europe from A to Z - pocket book of European integration. 11th edition, Berlin 2009
- Werner Weidenfeld (ed.): Europe manual. Bonn 1999