Introduction: A strong Economy as the Basic Drive for Integration
The period after the Second World War was characterized by economic difficulties throughout most of Europe. Resources had been used during the war and the infrastructure was in bad shape. This made it very difficult for any single European country to make economic progress on its own. Given the circumstances, even a united Europe would have found it hard to make any economic forward match. The injection of aid to the countries of Western Europe that was devastated by war came through the Marshall plan, whereby massive resources that have been estimated to be around thirteen billion dollars were pumped into the economies of Western Europe. The post-world war period was the turning point in the operations of Europe. This is the time when much cooperation was witnessed in the way the countries conducted their businesses, but it was too little compared to the integration that is being witnessed in Europe at the moment.
Having been the cause of much of the political disturbances in Europe, Germany was treated with caution by the other European countries. The leadership of Germany realized this and chose to be at the forefront in trying to restore peace, order, and cooperation in Europe. It is no surprise that the leaders of Germany played a significant role in the creation of the framework for a united Europe.
At the initial stage, there was consensus that functionalism was to be adopted in the integration. Functionalism focuses on the creation of institutions of governance intending to get some specific missions accomplished or getting certain earmarked functions performed. Under functionalism, structures are not created just for the sake of. They are put in place due to established needs for them.
Integration Efforts Prior to 1986: The Treaties…
The united Europe that we are seeing today under the leadership of the European Union has taken a long time and deliberate effort to put the structures in place. A number of treaties have been signed and ratified and these are the building stones that have led to the entity that we are seeing today. The most outstanding treaties include the European Coal and Steel Committee of 1951, the Treaty of Rome signed in 1957, the Accession treaty, the first Budgetary Treaty, the Second Budgetary Treaty, The treaty of Amsterdam, the Treaty of Nice, and the Single European Act. Of all these treaties, the Treaty of Rome stands out as the most significant agreement as far as the realization of the dream of a united Europe is concerned. It created a stable foundation in terms of institutions and set the stage for the modern European Union (EU).
The treaty of Rome was the second treaty, and it established the European atomic energy community (EURATOM) or (EAEC) and the European Economic Community (EEC). The first one was the European Coal and Steel Committee (ECSC), signed in 1951 to ensure that the coal and steel industry in Europe was well managed for the benefit of the European people. It is normally referred to as the treaty of Paris because it was signed in France and the then French foreign minister; Robert Schuman was hopeful that it would set the stage for the peaceful unification of Europe, something that has happened. It was the first time that a primitive form of the concept of supranational governance was put in place with the European Coal and Steel Committee (ECSC) being guided by what was called a higher authority, which was essentially a team of officials selected from the participating governments.
The European Economic Community and the European Steel and Coal Committee
These two bodies merged in 1967 resulting in the European Steel and Coal Committee being swallowed by European Economic Community. Meanwhile, a major revision of the treaty of Rome gave rise to another key organ called the Single European Act of 1986. Through thorough deliberations in the Hague and Luxembourg, it was given the green light in 1987. It gave the European Community the target of starting up a Common Market by the year 1992. Here, there was the objective of instituting the four freedoms which were identified as the free movement of people, the free movement of capital throughout Europe, the free movement of services as well as the free movement of goods. In addition to the above, the groundwork for a common currency to be used throughout Europe was laid. It is the foundation stone for the Euro, the currency that is being used currently in the European Union. It is normally described as the European Monetary Unity (EMU).
Completion of the single market and meeting the concepts of its inception…
A further revision of the European Community in Lisbon in the year 2009 gave it a different name by which it is identified up to date. It is called the treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Maastricht revision gave the former Rome treaty the power to come up with the pillars that were developed in stages as operational tools in the administration of the community. The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) was formed as a way of coming up with a united response in international matters. Here again, the issue of joint military ventures was rejected by France, a member state that has guarded its military independence jealously. The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) derivatives are in place as a means of ensuring that in cases of international concerns in security, Europe can respond as a single unit. Apart from the above, the Justice and Home Affairs docket is also in place as a key pillar. This handles concerns of justice among the member countries.
The operations of this department of the pillar are closely connected to the functions of the European court of justice (ECJ), the court that is responsible for the administration of justice in union matters. The court was established in the year 2009 and as of now, it has more powers compared to national courts. All laws in the individual member states that are contradictory to the European Union law as administered by the European Court of Justice are invalid. The European Union law is therefore superior. The European Court of Justice is another supranational institution that administers justice throughout the European Union. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) also deals with agricultural matters for the entire union membership. So far, the single market has met the major objectives for which it was established. These include the removal of trade barriers among member states and the creation of institutions that deal with various matters at the regional level instead of the national level. The CAP that is mentioned elsewhere in this paper is an example.
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