European Community: The Building of a Union

The European Community moves ever closer towards European union. This study evaluates how the Community began, its present powers, and how it will develop if present proposals are implemented for further economic, monetary, and political integration. The author details how the transformation of relations among member states has resulted from a series of steps: the strengthening of the Community's institutions; its enlargement from six to twelve; the move from Customs union to the single market and from the EMS to the project for economic and monetary union; and the development of agricultural, budgetary, industrial, social, and foreign policies. After constructing a complete and coherent view of the Community, John Pinder assesses the political and economic forces for and against unification. He squarely confronts the question whether the Community is likely to become a federal state, and offers his own neo-federalist approach.