European political community

The European political community (EPG) was to be carried out the first attempt a comprehensive political integration of European states. To participate the six members at that time of the European community for coal and steel (EGKS or also Coal and Steel Community) should. The project failed because of the resistance of the French national assembly in the context of the ratification of the European defense community.

Prehistory

On 10 September the ministers of foreign affairs on the conference of the advice of the EGKS decided 1952 that a condition for one should be prepared EPG which can be created. The EPG should have competencies within the range of the Coal and Steel Community and the defense and coordinate the foreign policy of the member states. Further objectives were the development of a Common Market, rise of the standard of living and the increase of the occupation. In one period of two years the EGKS already created and the EVG which can be developed parallel should be integrated into the European political community.

Negotiations and failure of the project

To 10. March 1953 was submitted to the advice 117 articles a comprehensive draft constitution. Beside a parliament with two chambers an executive council, an advice of the national Ministers, a Court of Justice, and an economic and a social advice should be furnished. Altogether the draft represents a mixture from supranational and federal elements. Those parliament which can be selected directly and the executive council are supranational elements, while the advice of the national Ministers is to be assigned to the federal idea.

The submitted draft was unanimously approved of by the advice. The 1953 taking place negotiations over the range of the sovereignty transfers to the EPG led to no conclusion. France struck thereupon in March 1954 an adjournment of the negotiations forwards, encountered thereby however no agreement.

With the failure of the EVG in the French national assembly the EPG the basis was extracted. In order to be able to continue the integration however further, to the sparkling wine-oral integration one fell back, which settled in the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM).

Related links

• Draft agreement for EPG from 10. March 1953

Literature

Pasture field, Werner/Wessels, Wolfgang (Hrsg.): Europe from A to Z - paperback of the European integration, 7. Edition, Bonn 2000

Pasture field, Werner (Hrsg.): European manual, Bonn 1999

See also: Portal: European union

Articles in category "European political community"

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