The European Community Between Three Ways of Life: A Cultural Analysis*

Abstract

[From the Introduction]. What kind of institution or set of institutions is the European Community (EC) becoming? What kind of decisions is it likely to take and how is it likely to take them? The discussion in this paper will revolve around three possible scenarios for the EC's future development, which differ in terms of the strength of central EC institutions, the extent of the enlargement process and the character of the legislation enacted at EC level. The first assumes that the EC will not develop strong central institutions, that it will be willing and able to accommodate as many states in Europe as wish to join and that it will only legislate to the extent necessary to ensure the efficient regulation of the large economic area due to emerge out of the 1992 programme. The second supposes that EC institutions will continue to place a premium on the equal status of all members and hence the need to respect rules of equity in decisions taken, that candidates for membership will find it difficult to obtain the endorsement of all concerned for their applications, and that regulations wilI seek not just to create a level economic playing field but also to combat economic disparities between members. And the third takes as its premise that the decisional structure will be strengthened with greater stress on individual members making sacrifices in the interests of the whole, that the decisions on enlargement will reflect the position of the majority and that the shape of the legislative agenda will be similarly be determined by a majority with no one member able to block its development.