The European “Postwar Consensus” and the Birth of the EEC

Portes, R (2021) The European “Postwar Consensus” and the Birth of the EEC. In: The Liberal Heart of Europe: Essays in Memory of Alberto Giovannini. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. ISBN 9783030603687

Abstract

Ideas are at least as important as facts, and indeed ideas often shape or even create facts. I say this not only because of the title of our conference. Partly it is my deformation professionelle as an academic, partly my current macroprudential policy role, where I do see academic thinking strongly influencing policy. But I believe you will see it too in the remarks that follow on the background to the birth of the EEC. One theme here is the intellectual background of federalism. Some say now that European federalist ideas have fallen by the wayside. But I believe that even a Europe of concentric circles would not discard federalist notions—especially with the eurozone at its center.