Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T14:56:43.806Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

1 - Basic Principles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2015

Get access

Summary

Some basic, very basic principles, determine the success or failure of an economic integration: positive sum game, step by step, clear political objectives, the role of problem grinder, links to the domestic political system, impose discipline/self-discipline on member states, balance between small and large/ powerful member states, political will to compromise and accommodate other member states, demonstrate in practice what the integration is doing and why it cannot be done without integration, avoid blurring the distinction between what the member states are doing and what falls under the competence of the integration, one or more member states as driver for the integration.

POSITIVE SUM GAME

The result on the scoreboard drawn up by each member state must show that it is at ease, better off, more comfortable, inside compared with the alternative of staying outside as a non-member. Politically and economically it must feel stronger, more powerful, and more capable of tackling challenges and problems. The integration should enlarge its room for manoeuvre to shape and guarantee domestic political preferences. Living standard, accumulation of wealth, and economic growth must be judged sustainable at a higher level inside rather than outside.

If or when a member state doubts or questions whether this is the case, the political understanding and links holding the integration together start to unravel. Superficially the integration may go on, but it will soon dawn upon the member states that the climate has soured.

In 1965 France took the view that the transition from unanimity to qualified majority voting on issues deemed to be crucial for France (aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy and its financing) was detrimental to its interest. France insisted on maintaining unanimity even if the transition to qualified majority voting was written into the Treaty of Rome. The other member states failed to perceive the depth of the French attitude and wanted to proceed. After a six-month French boycott of the institutions of the then European Economic Community, the impasse was broken. A political compromise was reached. If a member state deemed a question to be of vital importance, unanimity should be sought within a reasonable time span, even if the Treaty stipulated qualified majority voting.

Type
Chapter
Information
European Integration
Sharing of Experiences
, pp. 1 - 38
Publisher: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×