Nichtanerkennung zu eigenen Lasten? : die DDR und die EWG in den 'langen 1970er-Jahren'

Abstract

Even though the GDR’s special relationship to the EEC was subject to permanent discussions in East and West throughout the Cold War, historical research on the East German attitude towards West European integration has limited itself largely to perceptions of the Community and hardly addressed its role as an economic factor. Against the backdrop of the peculiar situation resulting from division of Germany and global economic developments, this article analyses how the deepening and enlargement of the Western integration project affected the GDR during the “long 1970s” and how perceptions of the emerging economic giant changed over time. Despite the favorable conditions of intra-German trade, East Berlin had to face the economic repercussions of progressing West European integration. The implementation of the EEC’s Common Commercial Policy and consecutive steps towards an ever-closer foreign trade policy impaired East German economic interests in many ways. As a result, the supposedly strict and formally upheld policy of non-recognition towards the EEC failed. Nevertheless, in a somewhat surprising way, the SED leadership started to see the EEC as a role model for the CMEA.