The European Foundation: A Stillborn Project in the Face of Belgian Proto-Federalism (1977-1987)
(2024) Journal of European Integration History — Vol. 30, n° 2 (2024), p. 319-338 (2024)
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- Abstract
- In 1977, the EC launched the project of a "European Foundation" in response to the impetus of the Tindemans Report. This project, which falls within a cultural action, quickly encountered a series of obstacles related to the participation of community institutions in a domain of competence not recognised by the treaties. After finding a European compromise, it was were national problems that prevented a swift implementation of the project. Among them, the impact of state reforms and federalisation in Belgium played a role, as did the reluctance of the Dutch Senate, the latter ultimately preventing the realisation of the project after its definitive rejection in 1987. The combination of the role played by a few actors – particularly France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Commission – and the slow ratification process caused by domestic factors are behind a community failure that went almost unnoticed during a period of deepening European integration in the latter second half of the 1980s.
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Citations
Dabe, X. (2024). The European Foundation: A Stillborn Project in the Face of Belgian Proto-Federalism (1977-1987). Journal of European Integration History, 30(2 (2024)), 319-338. (Original work published 2024)