The European Commission 1986-2000 : history and memories of an institution

Abstract

Following the Fontainebleau relaunch in 1984 and then the arrival of Jacques Delors, who was able to rely on a reinvigorated relationship between Germany and France, the process of European integration accelerated, with the Commission playing a leading role. Three large-scale projects were launched under Jacques Delors: completion of the internal market; economic and monetary union; and opening up the EU to the countries of central and eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Under Jacques Santer and Romano Prodi the Commission took care to complete these projects or ensure their continuity, leading the preparatory negotiations on the establishment of EMU and the greatest enlargement in the European Union’s history, efforts to deepen the Community and discussions on European governance with a view to future accessions. New treaties were signed, substantially increasing the Community’s powers. However, difficulties with the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty also showed that the public had still to be convinced and that better public communication and information were needed. A total of 52 academics and researchers from more than 30 universities and research centres in Europe, the United States and around 15 countries took part in the drafting of this work. The authors had access to new Commission archives, and many witnesses to the events, former officials, Commissioners and Presidents of the Commission were interviewed. These new sources, both oral and written, constituted a wealth of documentation that enabled the researchers to shed new light on the work of the Commission between 1986 and 2000. A similar project has already led to the publication of two other works, the first dedicated to the years 1958-1972 and the second to the 1973-1986 period. This work is the third volume of a series, the first of which, The European Commission, 1958-72 — History and memories of an institution, was published in 2007, and the second, The European Commission 1973-86 — History and memories of an institution, in 2014. It is the result of a tender launched by the Commission, inviting a focus on the years between 1986 and 2000.