From VersaiUes to Maastricht: Nationalist and Regionaiist Parties and European integration. Peter Lynch, Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science. PhD 1994 University of London UMI Number: U062753 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Disscrrlation Publishing UMI U062753 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract European integration has increasingly shaped the political opportunity structure of minority nationalism. This thesis studies the attitudes and responses to European union of nationalist and regionaiist parties from Brittany, Flanders, Scotland and Wales, in addition to co­ operation between the parties and the emergence of transnational regionalism through the development of the European Free Alliance. Whilst nationalist and regionaiist parties responded to the broad themes of European integration, and demonstrated preferences for an integovemmental or federal Europe, the EC has brought a range of specific opportunities and resources to aid minority nationalism and self-determination. This involved the EC’s challenge to traditional national sovereignty, responses to EC policies and participation in European elections. However, the most significant effect of European integration was its ability to shape and influence party goals and strategies for self- determination. The goals of the nationalist parties of Scotland and Wales became heavily Europeanised to fit the new European context that emerged in the 1980s with the Single European Act. This led to a reversal of policy and attitudes towards the EC, and a relaunch of the idea of self-government in the new Europe. Attitudes towards the Maastricht Treaty also demonstrated the flexible responses of nationalist parties to economic and political sovereignty in contrast to the inflexible attitudes of the 1970s. Regionaiist parties in contrast showed more stable attitudes to European union. They used the issue to complement demands for regional autonomy and federalism by linking domestic demands to European developments. Though regionalists demonstrated strong affective links to European union, they were less able to turn the issue to their advantage in political debate or elections. They increasingly Europeanised their autonomy position, often using arguments associated with nationalism rather than regionalism. This mixing of agendas brought a blurring of distinctions between nationalist and regionaiist political positions. Contents List of Tables. 5 Abbreviations. 6 Acknowledgements. 7 1. Introduction: Themes and Concepts. Introduction. 8 Approaches to European Integration. 12 The Development of European Union Since 21 the 1920s. The Party Dimension. 3 2 Conclusion. 4 0 2. The Scottish National Party and Europe: Independence Through Intergovernmentalism. Introduction. 4 2 The Development of the SNP. 4 3 The SNP and Europe to 1957. 45 SNP Attitudes to Europe Since 1957. 50 Independence In Europe: The Ultimate 6 4 Positive Linkage. The SNP and Transnational Co-operation. 16 ' Conclusion. 1 8 3. Plaid Cymru and Europe: From Nationalism To Regionalism. Introduction. 81 The Development of Welsh Nationalism. 81 Welsh Nationalism and European 8 4 Int. eg ration 1925-57. Plaid Cymru Since The Establishment of 9 0 the European Community. Conclusion. I l l 4. The Breton Movement and Europe: The Intellectual Linkages of International Federalism. Introduction. 114 The Development of the Breton Movement. 115 The Breton Movement and Europe to 1957. 116 The Breton Movement and Europe Since 130 1957. Conclusion. 149 5. The Volksunie and Europe: Fédéralisation And Europeanisation. Introduction. 150 The Development of the Volksunie. 153 The Volksunie and Europe: Europeanisation 162 and Fédéralisation. Institutional Change and Party Crisis. 179 Conclusion. 182 6. From Regionalism to Transnational Regionalism: European Co­ operation Within the Regionaiist Family. Introduction. 184 Transnational Party Co-operation. 186 Transnational Regionalism in Advance of 188 Direct Elections. Political Groups in the European Parliament 192 The Evolution of the Rainbow Group. 195 The European Free Alliance. 199 The Development of the EFA Common 215 Programme. Conclusion. 221 7. Comparing Party Attitudes to European Integration. Political Linkage and European Integration. 223 Direct Elections to the European Parliament. 224 Transnational Co-operation. 231 Comparing Options for European 233 Representation. Party Attitudes to Integration. 240 8. Conclusion. 249 Appendix. 252 Bibliography. 254 List Of Tables Table 2.1 Electoral Support for the SNP 1929-1992. Table 3.1 Electoral Support for Plaid Cymru 1929-1992. Table 5.1 Electoral Support for the Volksunie 1958-1991. Table 6.1 The Technical Co-ordination Group 1979-1984. Table 6.2 The Rainbow Group 1984-1989. Table 6.3 The Rainbow Group 1989-1994. Table 6.4 Policy Debates at EFA Congresses 1981-1988. Table 7.1 Comparison of First and Second Order Elections in Scotland and Wales 1979-1992. Table 7.2 Comparison of First and Second Order Elections in Flanders 1979- 1991. Abbreviations AER-Assembly of European Regions CAP-Common Agricultural Policy CDC-Convergencia Democratica de Catalunya CELIB-Centre des Etudes et Liaison des Intérêts Breton COREPER-Committee of Permanent Representatives CSP-Confederation of Socialist Parties in the EC CiU-Convergencia i Union CVP-Christelijke Volkspartij D’66-Demokraten ‘66 EA-Eusko Alkartasuna EC-European Community ECJ-European Court of Justice ECU-European Currency Unit ED A-European Democratic Alliance EFA-European Free Alliance EFTA-European Free Trade Association EMS-European Monetary System EMU-Economic and Monetary Union EPD-European Progressive Democrats ERDF-European Regional Development Fund FDF-Front Démocratique des Francophones GRB-Groupe Régionaliste Breton LL-Lega Lombarda MOB-Mouvement pour l’Organisation de la Bretagne. PAB-Parti Autonomiste Breton PC-Plaid Cymru PNV-Partido Nacionalista Vasco POBL-Parti pour l’Organisation d’une Bretagne Libre PSdA-Pardto Sardo d’Azione PVV-Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang RPR-Rassemblement Pour la République RW-Rassemblement Wallon SAV-StroUad ar Vro SEM-Single European Market SNP-Scottish National Party UDB-Union Démocratique Bretonne UPC-Unione di u Populu Corsu VB-Vlaams Blok VLD-Vlaamse Liberalen en Demokraten YU-Volksunie COS- P€-f-^oC_«4irrvC_o Y Acknowledgements This thesis was completed over a three year period in the Department of Government of London School of Economics. The research was funded from 1990-93 by the Economic and Social Research Council, which enabled fieldwork to take place in several different areas of research. The principe thanks is due to Dr Brendan O'Leary, my supervisor at LSE, for giving advice and encouragement throughout the research. Dr O'Leary was also helpful in arranging a placement on the EMPA programme at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Belgium, supported by the European Community's ERASMUS programme. The four month period spent at Leuven enabled fieldwork in Belgium on the Volksunie and the European Parliament. The staff of the Departmente Politieke Wettenschape at Leuven were also helpful, particularly Professor Maes, Professor Delmartino and Marleen Brans. The research was also assisted by materials and information provided by political parties. The staff of the Scottish National Party office in Edinburgh and the Plaid Cymru office in Cardiff were helpful in providing materials, as was Dr Phil Williams of Plaid Cymru. In addition, I am most grateful to Neil Fergusson and Herman Verheirstraaten of the European Free Alliance in the Brussels office in the European Parliament for their assistance in making material available and taking time to discuss many points on both a formal and an informal basis. Introduction Introduction; Themes And Concepts ‘Today’s Welsh separatists are those who want to keep Wales separate from Europe.”^ “The nineteenth century states have been overtaken. They are either too small or too large for efficient democracy and to fulfil their functions. A number of these must be used to build a democratic Europe of the regions.”^ “Right across Europe, nations are asserting their right to self-determination - a fundamental principle enshrined in international law. The newly-liberated nations of Eastern and Central Europe - many of them smaller and all of them poorer than Scotland - are queueing up to join the European Community, alongside many of the former EFTA countries. None of them would settle for some sort of second-rate regional status; all insist on becoming independent member states in their own right”^ 1. Introduction This thesis examines the impact of European integration upon nationalist and regionaiist parties in Western Europe from the Versailles Conference in 1919 to contemporary discussions on European union in the Maastricht Treaty. During this time European integration has had a distinct effect on nationalist and regionaiist parties, which derives from the fact that both European integration and nationalism/regionalism