Inside the ‘Outer Seven’ but outside ‘the Six’: Swedish business interest associations and Western European economic integration 1949–1965

The interactions between Central and Eastern European (CEE) business interest associations (BIAs) and their EU trade associations have not yet attracted much attention in academic research. This paper has two main objectives. The first is to assess quantitatively the participation level of CEE BIAs in EU trade associations. The second is to assess qualitatively the nature of the relationships between them by surveying Bulgarian BIAs as a case study. This article stresses the fact that EU enlargement has decreased the representativeness of EU trade associations due to the weak level of membership of CEE BIAs. It also highlights the importance of membership in EU trade associations in terms of both Europeanization and socialization, even though CEE national BIAs, such as Bulgarian ones, are still very much anchored in their domestic interactions and lobbying.

There are approximately 950 business interest associations organised at the EU level and formally constituted in law, accounting for around two-thirds of all EU formal interest organisations. This book is intended for those interested in: whether, and how, these organisations can be strong and cohesive players on the European stage; how the EU environment affects the capacities of business interest associations; and why EU business interest associations vary in their cohesiveness. It presents fresh results, drawn from a unique data-set consisting of 49 interviews conducted with EU business associations and 151 conducted with their members, undertaken between 1998 and 2001, and from a wide-ranging review of the literature on business interest associations and EU interest representation. It is a contribution to a number of new and contemporary debates of concern both to analysts of European integration and business interest associations, and to those who work in and with EU business associations. It seeks to be accessible to all these types of readers, whether ‘academic’ or ‘practitioner’.KeywordsInterest GroupLarge FirmNational AssociationPublic AffairPolitical RepresentationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

In 1991, in the midst of the program to create a liberal Single European Market and in the context of a new Joint Declaration for cooperation with Japan, the European Commission brokered a private deal to restrict Japanese imports into the European Community for nearly a decade (1993–1999). These ‘Elements of Consensus’ developed from the collective efforts of European automakers and their business interest associations – the CCMC and ACEA – to shape the Community’s Common Commercial Policy and insulate themselves from the threat of Japanese competition. Drawing evidence from archival documents, this article reconstructs how European automakers lobbied the Commission for protections and how the Commission used these protections as a means for regional market liberalisation. As a result, it contributes new dimensions to scholarship on the influence of corporations in politics in general and the relationship between business and European integration in particular.

This article focuses on the establishment in the 1970s of a new international private governance forum, the so-called ‘Interlaken Conferences’, which gathered together the leading figures of the Industrial Federations of the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It therefore contributes to the literature dealing with business interest associations’ (BIAs) international alliances, and to the growing corpus analysing BIAs’ political strategies in tackling the 1970s social unrest and economic crisis. Thanks to archival sources from the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry, this article examines the calculated efforts by Interlaken participants to secure a ‘liberal bastion’ of European industrial federations that could impose its views within other official international BIAs. By improving coordination, the participants sought to defend common liberal economic principles and to fight against adverse economic policies such as protectionism and state intervention in the economy.

I. History 1. West European Economic Integration since 1950 (Nicholas Crafts) 2. The History of European Economic and Monetary Union (Harold James) 3. History of Economic Thought and Policy-Making at the European Commission (Ivo Maes) II. The Single Market and the Euro 1. The Economics of the Single Market (Harry Flam) 2. Factor Movements: FDI (Bent Sorensen, Carolina Villegas-Sanchez) 3. The Euro as an International Currency (Agnes Benassy Quere) III. Monetary and Fiscal Policy 1. The Common Currency: More Complicated than it Seems (Charles Wyplosz) 2. Design Failures in the Euro Area: Can They Be Fixed? (Paul De Grauwe) 3. The Credit Channel of Monetary Policy in the Euro Area (Angela Maddaloni , Jose Peydro) 4. Fiscal Policy in the EU: An Overview of Recent and Potential Future Developments (Roel Beetsma) 5. The Roles of Fiscal Rules, Fiscal Councils, and Fiscal Union in EU Integration (Lars Calmfors) IV. Trade Issues 1. European Integration and the Gains from Trade (Gianmarco Ottaviano) 2. The Effects of European Integration on the Stability of International Trade: A Duration Perspective (Tibor Besedes) 3. EU Trade Policy (Andre Sapir) 4. The EU and the US: TTIP (Gabriel Felbermayr) 5. The EU and the ACP Countries (Ludger Kuhnhardt) V. Selected Policy Areas 1. Regional Policy (Sascha Becker, Peter Egger,Max von Ehrlich) 2. The Common Agricultural Policy (Johan Swinnen) 3. Labor and Social Policy (Giuseppe Bertola) 4. Tax Competition and Tax Coordination (Christian Keuschnigg, Simon Loretz, Hannes Winner) 5. Financial Market Integration, Regulation and Stability (Angel Ubide) VI. The Crisis 1. The Crisis in Retrospect: Causes, Effects, and Policy Responses (Fritz Breuss) 2. Exceptional Policies for Exceptional Times: The ECB's Response to the Rolling Crises of the Euro Area (Lucrezia Reichlin, Huw Pill) 3. Living (Dangerously) Without a Fiscal Union (Ashoka Mody) 4. Reforming the Architecture of EMU: Ensuring Stability in Europe (Jakob de Haan, Jeroen Hesseland, Niels Gilbert) VII. Institutions 1. The Political Economy of European Integration (Enrico Spolaore) 2. Efficiency, Proportionality and Member States' Power in the EU Council of Ministers (Nikolaos Antonakakis, Harald Badinger, Wolf Heinrich Reuter) 3. Measuring European Economic and Institutional Integration (Helge Berger, Volker Nitsch) 4. The Dynamics of European Economic Integration: A Legal Perspective (Erich Vranes)

This chapter is a review study of Loukas Tsoukalis’ published work on the political economy of European integration. A reverse chronological order is followed, its benchmarks being provided by Tsoukalis’ books; his journal articles and chapters in edited volumes are also reviewed, albeit selectively. Tsoukalis’ main research interests lie with the issues of money, monetary unification, and macroeconomic policy in the EU (and the euro area). Tsoukalis has especially been concerned with structural asymmetries, macroeconomic imbalances, and economic and social inequalities frustrating the European project, while being also reinforced by European economic integration and globalization. Yet, he has never confined his research within the limits of conventional economic analysis. Tsoukalis has, instead, sought to make sense of the political perplexities inherent in European economic integration; and he has constantly looked at the bigger picture. At the methodological level, Tsoukalis has been rather sceptical of mainstream economic theory; and he has often set himself free from the rigours of formal methodology, while having adopted an empirical approach. Sometimes he has embraced a normative rather than strictly analytical perspective, thereby articulating policy suggestions—and feeding ideas into the European political discourse. Tsoukalis has, thus, been influenced by Keynes’ ideal stereotype of economists as men of affairs: philosophers, politicians, and pragmatists. Above all, Loukas Tsoukalis has unequivocally been making the case for European integration, while also taking into account objective constraints and subjective sensibilities—a European idealist and a realist at one and the same time.

Homogeneous Groups within a Heterogeneous Community - Evidence from an Index Measuring European Economic Integration

The closing years of this century bear witness to the rebirth of an opportunity present at its beginning: the possibility of creating an integrated and truly pan-European market economy. That possibility derives mainly from the collapse of Communism and the beginnings of “transformation” of the “centrally planned” economies of Eastern Europe, but recent expansion of the European Union and progress toward “the single market” give further grounds for guarded optimism. The opportunity is mind-boggling, for the payoff to European integration in terms of economic growth and political stability could be enormous. It represents a great and obvious challenge to governments and policy makers in Europe, indeed, we believe, the major challenge facing those governments and policymakers today. Less obvious, perhaps, but central to the aims of this book, is the intellectual challenge which European integration poses for social science and particularly for economics. It has a dual character, related to the fact that European economic integration is at once a current problem calling for the best theoretical and empirical knowledge of the economic present we can mobilize, and at the same time the product of history, which we can only ignore at the risk of repeating history’s many disasters. The historical perspective is of particular importance here. For one hundred years ago, Europeans proved unable to transform the same opportunity for European integration into a durable supra-national structure, though some important positive steps were realized. National rivalries, then World War One and the peace settlement which followed contributed more to disintegration than to integration.1

The world is changing around us fast again, the end of world war two which founded the first European integration work which yielded finally to the European Union in 1951 can be now the same reason for further integration. The global economic competition for domination world markets from several world powers transformed globalization into a war. For the EU the challenges as a union are increasing and are not stopping but also becoming harder, 2012 was mostly about stopping European bank system from collapsing even with Mario Draghi’s success on that boiling situation. Very little has been done to address debt legacy and social tensions which are worsening every month effecting EU stock markets. This paper aims to illustrate some aspects regarding the European economic integration through aspects related to major area fields such as energy, banking, fiscal regulations, FDI (Foreign Direct Investments) and demographics. The paper will also try to describe the concepts of market economy and European business integration models as solution to reduce costs and the effects on EU market, and also will focus on understanding the mission of European integration in public sector development, and the benefits on European community.

SUMMARY ESTABLISHING RULES FOR NATIONAL OR REGIONAL MARKETS : FROM STATES ACTING AS SOVEREIGN REGULATORS TO ORGANISATIONS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION SERVING AS PROMOTORS, PROTECTORS, AND INTERMEDIARIES The objective of this contribution is double. It first of all seeks to single out several important factors that may lead States to turn to regional economic integration in order to regulate their market and to protect their interests. It then examines whether and how the role of a State may further change, subsequent to the opening of the markets and the ensuing pressure of regionalisation or globalisation. The European integration process in a wide sense is taken as an example including references not only to the European Union but, also, to the European Economic Area, the Customs Union with Turquie and the Europe Agreements where relevant. In particular the following questions are addressed. What rationale has led the European States to engage in a regionalisation process ? Is European economic integration to be understood in terms of economic reasoning, for instance the necessity to prevent a regulatory race-to-the bottom or the presence of inter-state externalities ? What importance is to be given to the historical context ? Should a distinction be made between the reasons for attributing regulatory powers to the European level and those aiming to determine how and when joint regulatory competence may be exercised and controlled by the States, for instance through the principle of subsidiarity ? Can one discern an interaction between the processes of regionalisation and globalisation ? Another very important question is what dynamics have been created by the initiation of the regulatory regionalisation process itself ? It is apparent, for instance, that the internal market objective as written into the Treaty and interpreted by the European Court of Justice may have far-reaching consequences for the Member States as regulators. Attention is inter alia drawn to the implications for the legislative role of Member States of the introduction of principles, such as mutual recognition or implied powers, by virtue of case law. The complexity of the subject matter under study is illustrated by the fact that there is no unequivocal answer to the question of how the process of European economic integration is to be qualified. Is it still mainly a voluntary project to regulate the market in common or is there nowadays a necessity for European States to join a bigger market ? An answer could be that it is inherently a mixture of both but that the balance will shift according to the specific country and period under consideration. There are essentially two sets of conditions underlying European economic integration. Firstly, it is apparent that in order to benefit fully from the advantages created by the internal market and to exert an influence on its further regulatory development, a State has to manifest the political willingness to be fully associated with the European project and to transfer part of its sovereignty to the European Union. Secondly, besides the political willingness, there are important political and economic conditions that need to be fulfilled before a State may become a Member of the European Union. To the extent that either one of those conditions is lacking European economic integration will necessarily have to proceed on the basis of the so-called geometrie variable model. The classical regulatory role of the State concerned is thereby more, or less, maintained according to the solution retained. Examples of the latter include not only the Europe Agreements and the Customs Union with Turquie, but also the possibility for reinforced co-operation between the Member States and the creation of the European Economic Area. By way of conclusion it is maintained that the absence of similar conditions underlying the globalisation process makes it very difficult to merely transpose the European internal market rules and logic to a worldwide level.

Objectives: This study analyzes Britain’s policy towards European economic integration in the 1950s, focusing on the political and economic factors that led to its cautious stance on joining groups like the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC). Methods: A historical-analytical approach was used to examine the events and factors influencing Britain’s policy and its hesitancy toward European economic integration. This analysis was conducted through a comprehensive review of relevant literature and historical records related to Britain’s approach to European integration. Results: Britain’s refusal to join European economic groups in the 1950s was largely driven by concerns over national sovereignty and a sense of pride among the British political elite in maintaining the nation’s global influence. Additionally, Britain was wary of the European agricultural policies, which posed potential challenges to British farmers who feared unfair competition and negative impacts on the domestic agricultural sector. Conclusion: The study concludes that Britain’s approach to European economic integration during the 1950s was marked by a strong emphasis on protecting national interests and sovereignty. Despite this cautious stance, Western Europe continued with integration efforts, resulting in the establishment of the EEC without Britain’s involvement.

Topics addressed, European economic integration, as well as with important phenomenon, which is facing Kosovo in recent years, since the post-war process. The process of international economic integration is one of the most important phenomena of the contemporary world economy. The trend of international economic integration is the reconstruction of the country devastated by war, is an undeniable necessity, the only reason to catch the trend of the world's economic development. Kosovo has a very favorable position, bridging the central Balkans with the possibility of Development extraordinarily large because the Europe could have connected in short way with two continents. The main goal: increasing economic cooperation, the creation of new strategies for accelerating the process, fulfilling the standards required in the EU, the extent of market economy, regulation of relations with neighbors, etc. Topics that will discuss is European economic integration, the way how to reach to where we want is a road with many challenges and barriers, with special emphasis will be elaborated the process of stable and association, agreements signed by Kosovo, always having as target strengths and weaknesses of these agreements in the economic aspect of the country. Republic of Kosovo, respectively, institutions and people, are fully committed to the European integration process with the intent to join the EU.

1. Introduction 2. Divided Europe: The Long Postwar, 1945-1989 3. The Collapse of World Dominion: The Dismantling of the European Colonial Empires and its Impact on Europe 4. The Golden Age of Prosperity, 1953-1973 5. Social Class and Social Change in Postwar Europe 6. Changing Margins in Postwar European Politics 7. European Mass Culture in the Media Age 8. The Boundaries of the Avant-Garde 9. The Central and Eastern European Revolution, 1989-2000 10. The Politics of European Unification 11. European Economic Integration: From Business Cycle to Business Cycle

The purpose of the study is a legal analysis of the current supranational tax legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union and European Union integration associations. Special methods of cognition were used in the furtherance of this goal: historical and legal analysis, formal legal method, comparative legal method, the method of legal modeling, the method of interpreting legal norms, which made it possible to identify the existing problems and determine the ways and means of their elimination as well as to determine the differences in approaches in the construction of the European and Eurasian economic integration. Moreover, the methodological basis of the study was formed by general scientific methods of cognition: the dialectical method, which made it possible to reveal the integrity and consistency of legal phenomena; the method of generalization, allowing to draw conclusions as a result of generalization of the data obtained; the comprehensive research method, allowing to consider the theoretical and practical foundations of the process of harmonizing national tax legislation in conjunction. The result of the study was the identification of similar and different concepts for the implementation of supranational policy in the tax systems of the Eurasian Economic Union and European Union countries, aimed at deepening Eurasian and European economic integration, as well as the identification of the trends in the development of harmonization of the national tax legislation of the European Union member states for their subsequent implementation into the tax legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union integration association member countries. The novelty of the study lies in the very formulation of the problem, as well as in the fact that these legal relations incite the states to take actual measures and find new solutions aimed at increasing the country’s economic indicators and potential.

June 01 2017 Comments by Toshihiro Okubo, on Markets Matter: The Potential of Intra-Regional Trade in ASEAN and Its Implications for Asian Regionalism Author and Article Information Online Issn: 1536-0083 Print Issn: 1535-3516 © 2017 by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology2017Massachusetts Institute of Technology Asian Economic Papers (2017) 16 (2): 22–24. https://doi.org/10.1162/ASEP_a_00512 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Comments by Toshihiro Okubo, on Markets Matter: The Potential of Intra-Regional Trade in ASEAN and Its Implications for Asian Regionalism. Asian Economic Papers 2017; 16 (2): 22–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/ASEP_a_00512 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsAsian Economic Papers Search Advanced Search Toshihiro Okubo: This paper investigates the impact of economic integration by ASEAN on trade from 1990 to 2013, using export potential in the gravity model framework. There are various types and several stages of economic integration throughout the world today. As the authors note, ASEAN has three unique features: 1) de facto integration initiated by the private sector; 2) open regionalism; and 3) the absence of core nations and strong leadership. These features are in a sharp contrast with European economic integration. In the literature, there are a number of papers on European economic integration. Many studies investigate the impact of EU and EURO on trade flows (e.g., Frankel and Rose 1998; Nitsch 2000; Rose 2002; Chen 2004). Several use the gravity model and test whether European economic integration causes trade diversion and creation. Some subsequent studies have provided meta-analysis on the euro impact (e.g., Rose... You do not currently have access to this content.