What Is the European Economic Community?

The European Economic Community, the most important part of the European Community, is often confused with the European Community. On March 25, 1957, the Foreign Ministers of France, Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Romania signed in Rome two treaties establishing the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, the Rome Treaty, in January 1958. Effective on the 1st. On April 8, 1965, the six countries signed the Brussels Treaty and decided to unify the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Atomic Energy Community and the European Economic Community, collectively referred to as the European Community.

European Economic Community

The European Community s basic document, the Treaty of Rome, states that its purpose is to establish a continuous, ever closer, united foundation among European peoples, clear the barriers that divide Europe, ensure the economic and social progress of countries, and continuously improve people's lives And employment conditions, and promote international exchange through common trade policies. In the "European Single Document" amending the "Roman Treaty", it was emphasized that the European Community and European cooperation aim to jointly and effectively promote the development of European unity and jointly make due contributions to maintaining world peace and security.

The European Community is an important

The Community has established relations with more than 130 countries and regions in the world, and has representatives in 81 countries and 4 international organizations outside Europe. There are 133 countries stationed in the Community. As a regional group, the Community participates in important international conferences and has become an important economic and political force in contemporary international relations.

The community has close economic and political relations with the United States. The two sides are important export markets and investment venues for each other.

Development status

Regular consultations to discuss the resolution of bilateral trade issues. It also signed a series of agreements on nuclear energy supply, peaceful uses of atomic energy, fishing, and environmental protection. The Community is also the main competitor of the United States. The two sides have been experiencing constant frictions in terms of trade, investment, and currency. Especially since the 1980s, the contradictions in terms of special steel and agricultural products are very acute. However, the two sides often have to make concessions and compromises based on their own interests. The Community cooperates to varying degrees with the United States in dealing with the Soviet Union. But there are differences in Soviet policy. Because the United States often makes decisions and enforces follow-up without full consultation with the community, it also causes community dissatisfaction.

The Community has not established formal relations with the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries (except Yugoslavia) for many years after its establishment. The Soviet Union once called it "the economic pillar of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization" and adopted a policy of non-recognition and non-contact. In 1972 the Soviet Union began to recognize the community as "a reality." Since then, the "Economic Mutual Aid Committee" and the Community have made many contacts to establish relations. On June 25, 1988, the two sides formally signed a joint statement of mutual recognition and establishment of formal relations, thus ending the 30-year abnormality of the two major economic organizations in the East and Europe. situation. In recent years, the economic and trade relations between the Community and the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries have developed rapidly.

Since the 1970s, trade between the Community and Japan has developed rapidly. Since 1973, the two sides hold consultations twice a year, and in 1983 the consultations were upgraded to ministerial level. The growing trade deficit between the Community and Japan has been a major problem between the two parties for a long time.

European Economic Community-Development Status The European Free Trade Association is the largest trading group partner of the Community. In 1973, the Community and the member states of the European Free Trade Association successively signed preferential free trade agreements. By the beginning of 1984, the two sides had finally exempted all industrial products and certain agricultural products from tariffs. Free trade zone.

The Community values relations with developing countries. In the 1960s, the Yaoundé Agreement and the Arusha Agreement were signed with 21 African countries and 7 overseas territories. Since 1971, it has implemented a general preference system for more than 100 developing countries. In 1975 and 1979, the Community signed two Lom Agreements with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. In 1984, the third "Lome Agreement" was signed with 66 African, Canadian and Thai countries, confirming equal partners and interdependence, giving preferential trade and providing financial and technical assistance to African, Canadian and Thai countries. In 1974, the Community began to discuss economic cooperation with the League of Arab States, the so-called "European-Arab Dialogue." In October 1985, the first ministerial meeting was held with the Gulf Cooperation Council on the signing of a five-year economic and trade cooperation agreement for formal negotiations. The Community has also signed trade, industry, technology, and financial cooperation agreements with almost all Mediterranean and Middle East countries. In 1980, the economic and trade cooperation agreement was signed with the five countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In 1985, a five-year economic cooperation agreement was signed with five Central American countries and four countries of the Contadora Group. In 1984, the trade volume between the Community and third world countries was 192.5 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 11% of its total foreign trade. In May 1975, the Community established formal relations with China. In 1978, the two sides signed a five-year trade agreement, giving each other most favored nation treatment. Since 1980, the Community has granted China general preferential treatment and reduced or exempted tariffs on certain Chinese exports (except textiles). Established a regular political consultation system with China in 1983. In November of the same year, China established formal relations with the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, thereby expanding China's relationship with the European Economic Community to the entire European Community. In 1985, the two sides signed a new agreement on trade and economic cooperation. On the basis of the original agreement, the contents of cooperation in the fields of energy, science and technology, industry, agriculture, personnel training, development assistance, and investment promotion were added. The total trade volume between the 10 countries of the Community and China increased from US $ 2.4 billion in 1975 to more than US $ 7.2 billion in 1985, making China the third largest trading partner after Japan and Hong Kong.