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| 1960s enlargement of the European Communities | |
|---|---|
| Name | 1960s enlargement of the European Communities |
| Region | Europe |
| Start | 1960 |
| End | 1969 |
| Members before | EEC founding members (Treaty of Rome signatories) |
| Members after | 1970s enlargements lead-in = United Kingdom accession process |
1960s enlargement of the European Communities The 1960s enlargement of the European Communities refers to the series of accession attempts, candidacies, negotiations, and political realignments among European states and Communities institutions during the 1960s that set the stage for later expansions. This period saw formal applications, vetoes, and diplomatic initiatives involving states such as the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey, alongside institutional developments in the European Economic Community, European Coal and Steel Community, and European Atomic Energy Community. Key actors included leaders from the Fourth French Republic successors, the Macmillan ministry, the Charles de Gaulle administration, and the European Commission under Walter Hallstein.
Post‑World War II reconstruction and the Cold War context propelled Western European integration through projects such as the Schuman Declaration, the Treaty of Paris, and the Treaty of Rome. Founding participants—France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg—formed the European Coal and Steel Community and the EEC amid tensions exemplified by the Suez Crisis, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The 1957 Rome arrangements created customs union dynamics that influenced potential applicants including the United Kingdom, whose relationship with the Commonwealth of Nations and links to the International Monetary Fund shaped accession debates. Concurrently, decolonisation episodes such as the Algerian War and constitutional shifts like the later Lisbon debates reverberated across diplomatic circles.
Formal applications during the 1960s included the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and Greece at various points, with informal interest from Spain and Portugal and strategic approaches by Turkey. The Macmillan ministry initiated the UK’s first application under Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1961 to the Commission presided over by Walter Hallstein. Negotiations involved customs, trade, and tariff harmonisation issues referenced in documents akin to the Common Agricultural Policy debates and arbitration mechanisms discussed in the context of the Council of the European Communities. French objections under Charles de Gaulle culminated in vetoes in 1963 and 1967, invoking national sovereignty concerns and references to the EEC budgetary dispute and broader Atlanticist ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
1961: The United Kingdom submitted an application for accession to the EEC; simultaneous applications or expressions of interest came from Denmark, Ireland, and Norway. 1963: President Charles de Gaulle issued the first veto on UK membership, citing concerns related to Commonwealth of Nations trade practices and Franco‑British relations. 1967: A second veto followed during the presidency of Georges Pompidou's predecessor period, again blocking UK progress and affecting negotiations with Denmark, Ireland, and Norway. Throughout the decade, the European Commission and the Council of the European Communities conducted preparatory studies, while bilateral talks with Greece and exploratory contacts with Spain and Portugal occurred, influenced by developments such as the Congo Crisis and shifts in NATO posture.
Political drivers included security alignment amid the Cold War, consolidation of Western European identity after the Treaty of Brussels, and domestic political calculation by leaders such as Harold Macmillan, Adenauer, and Georges Pompidou. Economic motivations focused on market access, tariff dismantling, and agricultural policy resolution, with the EEC’s customs union appealing to states integrated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and trading with the International Monetary Fund‑monitored systems. Colonial legacies—affecting Algeria, Ireland’s trade links, and Commonwealth preferences—further complicated tariff reciprocity with the Common Agricultural Policy at the center of contention.
The 1960s saw the European Commission expand its technical capacity under commissioners like Jean Rey and institutional disputes in the Luxembourg compromise context. Debates anticipated later treaty reforms evident in precursors to the Single European Act and later Maastricht Treaty discussions. Budgetary standoffs, the role of the Common Assembly (later European Parliament), and juridical clarifications from the European Court of Justice refined accession procedures and the Communities’ acquis approach. The institutional friction exemplified by the Empty Chair Crisis aftermath shaped decision‑making procedures and qualified majority voting debates.
Vetoes and delayed access affected diplomatic alignments: UK exclusion fostered a period of Atlanticist persistence under leaders linked to the Suez Crisis aftermath, while Scandinavian applicants intensified regional integration via the Nordic Council. Economically, EEC market rules influenced trade policy in Ireland, industrial modernisation in Denmark, and fisheries negotiations that later became critical in accession talks. Institutions such as the European Court of Justice and the European Commission expanded legal and technical capacities to manage enlargement complexities, and domestic politics in applicant states—illustrated by electoral shifts in Norway and policy debates in the United Kingdom—responded to perceived gains and losses.
The 1960s accession attempts shaped the successful 1973 enlargement that admitted the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Ireland, following renegotiations and post‑de Gaulle diplomacy under leaders like Edward Heath. The decade’s vetoes clarified accession criteria, informed treaty revisions leading toward the Single European Act, and left enduring impacts on relations with Spain, Portugal, and Turkey. Institutional precedents established during the 1960s strengthened the European Commission’s enlargement readiness and legal frameworks of the European Court of Justice, setting patterns for subsequent enlargements including the European Union enlargement waves and integration of former Eastern Bloc states after the Cold War.
Category:European Communities