Europe is a regional economic and trade organization established and developed by the major developed countries in Western Europe in the 1950s in order to strengthen mutual cooperation and promote their respective economic development.
1950 in may, French foreign minister robert schumann put forward a plan, suggesting the establishment of a "supranational" organization to plan and lead the coal and steel production in France and the federal Republic of Germany, that is, the "Schulman plan". The plan received responses from the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. On April 195 1, the six countries signed the 50-year-old European Coal and Steel Joint Venture Treaty (also known as the Paris Treaty) in Paris, France, and established the European Coal and Steel Isomer (ECSC) on the basis of the Treaty. Since then, countries have sought greater cooperation and decided to give priority to strengthening cooperation in the economic field rather than the political field. By establishing economic organizations in which all countries participate, the economies of all countries can be more closely linked. Therefore, in 1957, the six countries signed the Treaty for the Establishment of the European Economy and the Treaty for the Indefinite Establishment of the European Atomic Energy in Rome (collectively referred to as the Treaty of Rome), and two organizations, the European Economy and the European Atomic Energy, were established according to these treaties. 1On April 8, 965, the six countries signed the Treaty on the Establishment of a Single Council and a Single Commission of the European Union (the Brussels Treaty), and decided to merge the main institutions belonging to the three organizations of coal, steel, atomic energy and economy, collectively known as the European Union (EU). 1After the entry into force of the Brussels Treaty in July, 967, these three same subjects still exist independently. However, judging from the practice since the establishment of European economic entities, European economic entities are at the core.
Since its founding, Europe has tripled in size. 1973, joined by Britain, Ireland and Denmark; 198 1, joined by Greece; 1986, Spain and Portugal joined, bringing the number of members of the same institution to 12. By 1990, the gross domestic product of * * * reached 6.2 trillion US dollars, surpassing the United States (5.39 trillion) and Japan (294 million), and the export trade accounted for 40% of the total world trade, making it the largest and most integrated regional economic organization in the world at that time.
European integration process
After the establishment of the European Union, the process of economic integration in this region has experienced a gradual deepening process.
1 customs union
The EU started with a customs union. According to the Treaty of Rome, the main contents of the customs union are: from 1958 to 1969, gradually abolish tariff barriers and trade quotas among member countries, abolish discriminatory treatment among member countries in road, railway and waterway freight rates, make goods circulate freely, and gradually implement a unified tariff rate. More than a year after the implementation of the customs union, the United States dumped a lot of goods to European countries, which accelerated the establishment of the customs union. 196 1 At the end of the year, all countries cancelled internal trade quotas, 1968, and all internal tariffs were reduced. At the same time, trade quotas and internal tariffs will be abolished, and the external tariff rate will be gradually unified. The customs union was completed ahead of the time limit stipulated in the Rome Treaty.
2.* * * Same as agricultural and fiscal policies.
While establishing a customs union, the EU has also implemented the same agricultural policy and the same fiscal policy.
Europe has implemented the same agricultural policy since 1962. Its main contents are: establishing agricultural market organizations, establishing agricultural funds, implementing unified price management and price guarantee for agricultural products, and promoting the free circulation of agricultural products. In order to ensure the income of agricultural products, the EU has specially stipulated the intervention price of agricultural products. When the market price falls below the intervention price, Europe is obliged to buy at the intervention price. From 65438 to 0968, the prices of major agricultural products were included in various agricultural market organizations, realizing the unification of agricultural product prices. 1969: the internal tariffs on agricultural products were completely abolished, and differential taxes were levied externally. Therefore, the main agricultural products can circulate freely in the market. In order to support the export of agricultural products, another main content of EU agricultural policy is to implement export subsidy policy. The export price of agricultural products can be lower than the international market price or lower than the cost, and the difference loss is compensated by European financial expenditure.
The EU has established a fiscal policy since its inception. Through the redistribution of fiscal revenue, Europe will have supranational economic power to intervene in the internal economy of Europe. Europe's fiscal revenue is mainly its own financial resources. Including customs duties, import balance of agricultural products and value-added tax. The main target of tariff collection is industrial products from outside Europe. The collection object of the import balance of agricultural products is those agricultural products from outside whose prices are lower than those of similar products in Europe. Value-added tax is a tax that increases with the increase of production and sales in member countries. In the composition of fiscal revenue, tariff accounts for about 30%, differential tax on agricultural products accounts for 5%, value-added tax accounts for 60%, and the rest is assessed contributions.
The financial expenditure of the EU mainly includes the following aspects: the administrative expenditure provided to EU institutions accounts for about 5% of the total expenditure; 70% of the agricultural guidance and guarantee funds are provided to ensure the implementation of agricultural policies; Expenditures from European social funds and industrial development funds account for15%; Expenditure as emergency reserve and reimbursement to member countries accounts for 10%.
3. Monetary and financial policies
In the early 1970s, European countries began to establish economic and monetary union. In the early 1970s, in order to ensure exchange rate stability and promote the development of trade and investment in this region, the European Union successively implemented the snake exchange rate system and the snake-shaped joint floating exchange rate system. The so-called snake exchange rate system means to narrow the fluctuation range of the exchange rate between the currencies of EU member States and the US dollar, and only allows the fluctuation of1.65,438+0.25%, with a total fluctuation range of 2.25%. This fluctuation is less than half of the fluctuation of the exchange rate of currencies outside the region against the US dollar. Because the fluctuation range of currency exchange rate among participating countries is half less than that of non-participating countries. Because the fluctuation of currency exchange rate among participating countries is smaller than that of non-participating countries, 4.5% is generally compared to a hole and 2.25% to a snake. If the exchange rate changes are depicted in a chart, it looks like a snake crawling up and down in a hole, so it is called the snake exchange rate system implemented in Europe at this time. 1972 and 1973 broke out in succession, the dollar depreciated again, and the currencies of various countries were no longer limited by the fluctuation range of 4.5%. In other words, the "hole" in the exchange rate fluctuation of the European Community no longer exists, but so far the European Community still stipulates that the exchange rate fluctuation of member States can only be between 2.25% and 2.25%. At this time, the exchange rate system implemented in Europe was called the snake-shaped joint floating exchange rate system.
In order to further promote European economic cooperation, balance the international payments of member countries and stabilize the exchange rate, Europe formally established the European Monetary Cooperation Fund in 1973, with a total fund amount of1400 million ECU.
1974, Euro * * * decided to implement a new unit of calculation and use a "basket" of currencies in Euro * * * countries. This new unit of calculation is the European unit of calculation. The European unit of account is based on the size of the gross national product, the proportion of countries in the total export of European goods and services, and the share of countries in the European short-term monetary payment system, which is calculated through complex technical processing. The European Commission publishes the parity between the European unit of account and national currencies every day. After the implementation of the European accounting unit, the scope of use has gradually expanded. Many European institutions, such as the European Development Fund, the European Investment Bank and the European Coal and Steel Joint Venture, have adopted the European accounting unit for internal settlement.
The establishment of the European monetary system from 65438 to 0979 mainly includes three items: the establishment of the European monetary unit, the implementation of the policy of stabilizing the exchange rate, and the establishment of the European monetary fund.
The European monetary unit is developed on the basis of the European unit of account. It is designed as the future currency of European entities and the core of the European monetary system. The calculation method of European monetary unit is the same as the calculation method of European accounting unit, and it is also determined according to the currencies of various countries. The European Monetary Unit (ECU) is mainly used as a settlement tool among member countries, or as an accounting unit for providing development assistance to the Third World, or as one of the reserve assets of member countries.
The policy of stabilizing exchange rate in Europe is mainly embodied in the adjustable fixed exchange rate at home and the joint floating system abroad. The so-called adjustable fixed exchange rate, also known as semi-fixed exchange rate system, means that the exchange rate between one country's currency and another country's currency generally remains unchanged and can be adjusted according to the situation when necessary. The so-called joint floating system refers to the fixed exchange rate system between member currencies and the floating exchange rate system for non-member currencies, that is, the snake-shaped and snake-shaped joint floating exchange rate system mentioned above.
The Euro-Euro Plan of the European Monetary Fund (EMF) requires member countries to concentrate 20% of their gold and foreign exchange reserves in Euro-Euro as reserve assets. The purpose is to expand the loan capacity of the existing monetary cooperation funds, strengthen the intervention in the money market, and prepare for the establishment of the euro-euro central bank.
The joint floating of exchange rates and the establishment of the European monetary system have formed a preliminary economic and monetary union, laying the foundation for the further integration of the European monetary system.
4. Unify the big market
On the basis of customs union, the European Union devoted itself to establishing a single market, and finally established the European single market in 1993, which achieved a leap in the process of integration.
From 65438 to 0985, former French Finance Minister Jaques Delors became the president of the European Sports Commission. With his active efforts, the once stagnant European integration started again. 1986, EU member States signed the Single European Act (SEA), which revised the Paris Treaty and the Rome Treaty, and explicitly proposed to complete the internal market construction before 1992 12 3 1, thus achieving the following four goals.
(1) Free circulation of goods. Cancel all inspections of goods of the same subject at internal borders, unify the technical and sanitary standards of goods, and promote the circulation of goods.
(2) Free circulation of capital. Cancel the restrictions on domestic residents buying and selling stocks and bonds of other member countries; Citizens can deposit and lend in member countries and cancel foreign exchange control. , accelerate the flow of funds.
(3) Free movement of people. Allow the population to move freely between member States, and citizens of the same subject will move freely within the same subject without checking their identity and property; Citizens of other countries enjoy the same treatment as domestic companies; Mutual recognition of resident status, higher education and technical titles of staff. , strengthen the exchange of talents.
(4) Free exchange of services. Open the service market; Allow cross-border free provision of new technologies and other services, such as finance, insurance, transportation services and software; Operating banking, insurance, transportation and other businesses; Mutual implementation of professional licenses to promote the development of service trade.
The single European document also clearly stipulates European cooperation in the fields of economy, currency, social policy, scientific and technological development, environmental protection and foreign policy.
The establishment of a unified European market has experienced twists and turns, one step at a time, and was officially launched on 1993 1. The basic framework of unifying the big market has been basically completed, and barriers such as borders, technology and taxation that hinder the "four major flows" of goods, capital, services and personnel have been or are being eliminated. However, the realization of the unified big market is not fully realized, and there are still some problems in the "four major circulation". In terms of commodities, some commodities are still under control; In terms of funds, there are still some problems that require countries to coordinate policies; In terms of service, train transportation has not been fully liberalized, and banking business still needs to obey the treaties of various countries and regions; In terms of personnel flow, Britain, Denmark and other countries only agree to the free movement of European citizens, but refuse to cancel border inspections on the grounds that it is impossible to distinguish between European companies and foreigners.
The initial establishment of a large European market is an important step under the overall strategic goal of strengthening the alliance, revitalizing the economy and competing with the United States and Japan in Western Europe. It will promote the development of economies of scale, strengthen scientific and technological cooperation and improve the competitiveness of Europe.