The 1969 Hague Summit

 

An important development in shaping future co-operation between Member States, outside the Communities’ framework, took place at the proposal of Georges Pompidou, the successor to Charles de Gaulle.

 

 

A meeting (which became known as The Hague Summit) was convened in The Hague in December 1969, to which Pompidou, more flexible in his approach towards the development of the Community (although as opposed to the construction of a supranational Europe as de Gaulle had been), invited all heads of state or government of the Member States.

 

The main decisions taken by The Hague Summit were to:

 

  1. Enlarge the Communities by admission of the UK, Denmark, Norway and Ireland;
  2. Establish European Political Co-operation (EPC);
  3. Adopt measures leading to Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) between Member States;
  4. Introduce regular meetings of foreign ministers of the Member States;
  5. Reform the CAP financing;
  6. Establish technical co-operation;
  7. Put development aid and social policy on the Community agenda;
  8. Create a European University.

 

In the immediate period after The Hague Summit the international oil crisis and the budgetary crisis within the Community stunted its growth for almost two decades. Nevertheless, during that period certain aspects of the agenda created by the ambitious decisions of The Hague Summit were further developed. Two of the decisions taken at The Hague Summit merit special attention: the establishment of European Political Co-operation and the initiatives aimed at creating an Economic and Monetary Union, the latter having become a reality under the SEA and TEU.