3 - THE COMMERCIAL POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (EEC)

Abstract

This chapter elaborates the commercial policy of the European Economic Community (EEC). The EC, as originally established, was first, and foremost a customs union and, therefore, by definition, had to establish a common external tariff. The vision of those who drafted the Treaty of Rome soared well beyond the limited horizon of the arithmetic, unweighted average of the tariffs practiced by the national customs regimes of its founding membership, looking toward an enhanced role in world affairs for the emergent nucleus of a new Europe. Taken together, the requirement of consolidating a common external tariff, and the wider ambition of closer economic and political integration propelled the EC to formulate a Common Commercial Policy (CCP) toward the rest of the world. Tangible commercial, economic, and political advantages also strengthened the case for hammering out a CCP. In the first place, the negotiating weight of a group of nations negotiating collectively to advance European interests would be manifestly greater in shaping the world trading regime than if each of them negotiated individually.