Relaunching Europe the 1980s revival

As last lecture stressed, Eur in the early 1980s seemed stuck: ec crisis, inst crisis,
pol marginalisation. But where to begin reial! Ec leel, inst leel or pol!
o 1
st
attempt "enscher#$olombo plan %1981&: sght to moe Eur integ to new
pol leel, stim '.p. coop, and re'orm inst. (tillborn: lack big state enthu.
o )
nd
attempt (pinelli dra't treaty on European *nion %198+&: inst %but also
pol&, E- at 'ore'ront, but again 'ailed 'or lack o' member state backing.
o .
rd
attempt wld 'ocus on selecting ec target: single market programme
%also known as 199) prog&. /ld inole remoal o' non#tari'' barriers
/hy did this succeed!
o (trong $ommiss role: 1980 appointment o' 1ac2ues 3elors
identi'ication o' single, realisable target, but also enthu 4 dynamism
o (trong member state backing: 5ohl, 6hatcher but also %post#198)#. *#
turn& 7itterrand. *se o' Eur $ouncil. And 3elors able to use this 'rmwk.
o "ood timing: BB8 soled %198+&, enlargement %(p 9 -ort& imminent
o Also winning combination o'
short term utility %wld proide Eur economies with needed boost&
long term potential: wld re2uire inst change %198: (ingle European
Act& wider relaunch
E''ects dramatic in the latter hal' o' decade:
o ;eial o' morale: esp in Brussels but also Eur capitals
o ;ise o' interest in other 'ields o' coop: monetary coop, eniron pol,
redistribution, 'oreign policy coop, <ustice 9 home a''airs
o ;ise o' outside interest: wider Eur %(candinaia, Alpine states etc&, but
also *( %an=iety but also potential& and interestingly (* %o''icial recog&.
6his last point o' course draws attn back to the other crucial trans'orm happening
in same period: the "orbache reolution in the (oiet *nion
o ;oots o' this 'ar too comple= 'or part o' lecture:
7ilitary competition %A'ghanistan, (3>&
Economic lag %technol gap, but also 'alling raw material prices&
"enuine idealism
o 6here are some intriguing hints o' Eur dimension:
"orbache clearly 'ascinated in Eur reial, wanted $omecon to
emulate this process
Also est close rel with multiple Eur leaders %6hatcher, 7itterrand,
5ohl ? but also "on@ale@&.
Appeal o' social democracy and (* inolement in a Acommon
European homeB.
And /estern Eur reial also increased discontent in E Eur
%contrast with their stagnation&
Eur reial did there'ore play some role in hastening end o' cld
war.
o $ausality also goes other way, howeer. Cew E#/ opportunities caused
new 'ears o' (uperpower condominium. ;eyk<aik summit. (uch 'ears
increased desire 'or new Eur oice.
3espite this intriguing links, h, the key point is that both the Eur integ process
and the cold war trans'ormed in latter hal' o' 1980s.
o As a result, once the 1989 reolution occurred, largely 'or reasons
independent o' Eur integ process, the Eur which was 'orced to react was a
ery di''erent one 'rom that o' early 1980s.
o 6he whole tenor o' EurBs reponse ? and indeed the whole tra<ectory o' the
the continent post#1989 ? wld be pro'oundly altered by this reality.