The Treaty of Rome (1957-58) set forth the objectives and framework for the realization of a European common market with all its concomitant regulations and conditions. In subsequent years, the European Commission, the Parliament and even the Court of Justice provided important contributions to the consolidation of this framework. With the completion of the customs union at the end of the 1960s, though, it became clear that the impetus for deepening integration would have to come from national governments. Resistance on the intergovernmental level – not only in the case of the French president De Gaulle – was considerable. As a result of the economic and monetary crises at the beginning of the 1970s, the strategy of more Europe to combat these crises was no longer self-evident, though it was seriously considered as an alternative for a ‘Europe of the states’. In addition to these crises and the work of Community-wide institutions, the planned enlargement to include the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland also exerted pressure on the Six to hasten completing and deepening the integration process. This case, in contrast to later enlargements, was not about the need for improving decision-making processes for a Community with more members. Instead, in this phase of the European project, the essence of many intergovernmental conflicts and obstructions lay in determining the power relations between the Member States. In the end, a balance in Franco-German cooperation was struck, offering Paris sufficient security to accept British membership while showing sufficient respect for the interests of the smaller Member States.

The Foundation: the Treaties of Rome

The Treaties of Rome, which formed the basis for European cooperation, lent themselves to divergent interpretations. In placing their signatures, in March 1957, the six Member States solemnly declared to ‘lay the foundations for an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’ – a cautious reference to the ultimate political goal pursued by Monnet and his followers. In concrete terms, the EEC Treaty was supposed to further ‘a harmonious development of economic activities within the entire Community, a continuous and balanced expansion, an increased stability’ and ‘accelerated raising of the standard of living’. Seen in this way, the Treaty served the economic interests of the Member States above all.