Repository. Research Institute University European Institute. EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE, FLORENCE Cadmus, on DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION “Challenge and Response in Western Europe: BADIA FIESOLANA, SAN DOMENICO (F I) University Project directed by Professor Alan Milward Access the Origins ofthe European Community (1945 • 1950)” European Open Project Paper No. 24 Author(s). Available The 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised Repository. Research Institute University European Institute. This paper should not be reproduced whole in or in part Cadmus, on University without without prior permission of the author. Access Printed in Italy Decemberin 1986 European University Institute I I - 50016 San Domenico (FI) European Open Badia Fiasolana (C) Helge(C) Pharo Author(s). Available Italy The 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised Repository. Research Institute University European European Integration. The Third Force, Atlanticism and Norwegian Attitudes Towards Institute. Cadmus, on University Access European Department of History Open HELGE 0. PHARO Oslo University Author(s). Available The 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised Repository. Research Institute University European Institute. Cadmus, on University Access European Open Author(s). Available The 2020. © in Library EUI the by produced version Digitised -1- I. Introduction. During the first postwar decade the Norwegian Labor govern­ ments looked upon efforts towards European integration with Repository. considerable uneasiness. Economic and political integration might in itself be considered a welcome contribution towards strengthening the position of Europe - politically and eco­ Research nomically as well as militarily. The Labor government, however, did not relish the probable implications of Institute European integration for Norwegian foreign and economic policies. With only minor variations, and a few exceptions, the views of the Labor government were shared by parliamen­ University tarians of all non-communist parties and probably by informed public opinion.^ By and large Norwegians, whether holding public office or European not, left the problems of integration to the continental Europeans. The Labor government held back and preferred to Institute. take its stand on an ad hoc basis as cooperation between Cadmus, the continental Marshall plan countries seemed to point the on way towards some sort of European economic integration. By University the end of 1949 the government was pushed to the point of Access formulating a tentative European integration policy. The European establishment of the Council of Europe, the plans for Frita- Open lux, and the ever-present fear of further American pressure prompted a series of talks on the topic by foreign minister Author(s). Halvard Lange. Most of the elements of Lange's talks can Available easily be identified in previous public announcements or The 2020. departemental position papers, but had not until that time © been systematically presented in public. in In late 1949 and in the months following Lange presented the Library views of the Norwegian government in a coherent form to both an international audience through the Council on Foreign EUI Relations, to a select Norwegian audience at the Christian the Michelsen Institute in Bergen, and to the Norwegian by Storting. At all times Lange emphasized the considerable economic and political differences that existed within Europe. In his opinion there was a wide gap in living stan­ produced dards between the north of Europe and the Mediterannean version Digitised -2- area. Levels of social security varied almost as much, and finally Lange pointed out, the different European countries Repository. held conflicting views of economic policy while some of the goals of economic policy were not easily compatible. In Lange's opinion these differences suggested a regional approach to European economic integration. Research To Lange, as to the rest of the Norwegian cabinet and the Labor party as a whole, in this context economic policy was Institute the fundamental issue. Lange emphasized that Britain and the Scandinavian countries had made the maintenance of full University employment and of a high level of economic activity the paramount aim of their economic policies, and they consider central planning and government control of economic activity necessary to achieve that end. The governments of most con­ tinental countries of Western Europe, on the other hand, European trust in the free play of the forces of the market and deci­ dedly refuse to secure for themselves the powers required to Institute. enable them to control economic activity. Cadmus, Lange maintained that the Norwegian people, "in so far as on they take an active interest in the problem, are definitely University sceptical of plans of integration, which once more place our economy at the mercy of continental cartels." Access European Rather than having Norway join in any kind of European efforts Open towards economic integration, Lange favored what he called "Scandinavian regionalism in the direction of a North Sea Author(s). and a North Atlantic community, working in, that is, more Available closely with Great Britain and with the United States." The 2020. Finally Lange emphasized his strong preference for a © "functional" rather than a "federal" approach to European in integration in general, with particular reference to the 2 ) discussions taking place within the Council of Europe. Library Lange thus in these speeches raised most of the central EUI issues of Norwegian foreign and foreign economic policy the during the first postwar decade, the glaring exception being by defence. The government obviously felt that its planning system and a strong egalitarianism set Norway apart from most of Europe in the late 1940s. As far as the Norwegian produced government was concerned only the other Scandinavian countries and Britain adhered to similar economic policies. version Digitised -3- In addition, sentiment and geography made Scandinavian eco­ nomic and political cooperation seem necessary and Repository. desirable. Britain, of course, was ideologically accep­ table, traditionally the major trading partner, and above all, the provider of security for Norway since independence. Research Since the Second World War the United States had reinforced Britain's military role in the north of Europe. If there had to be cooperation, Norway's favored choice was some sort of Institute loose North Atlantic arrangement, based, to the extent possible, on common ideology, on geography, sentiment, and military requirements. Since Sweden was not a NATO member University and the United States neither a European nor a social democratic power, it stands to reason that Norway did not strive for any kind of close integration. European This point comes out even more clearly when we look at the Institute. tacit dimension in Lange's speech to the Council on Foreign Relations. Towards the end of World War II the Norwegian Cadmus, government turned away from its policy of promoting a North on University Atlantic defence community towards making, verbally at least, the United Nations the point of departure for Nor­ Access wegian foreign and security policies. This policy, dubbed European "bridge-building", remained in force, though progressively Open weakened, until the end of 1947- Essentially the policy was a negative one, Norway should not take any steps that would Author(s). aggravate relations between the west and the Soviet Union. Available Ideally Norway should strive to promote harmony between the The 2020. antagonistic great powers. While promoting bridgebuilding © in Norway would shy regional alignments, for international as 3} well as domestic reasons. Even as bridgebuilding was aban­ doned, above all for reasons of security, scepticism against Library close regional cooperation for other purposes remained. EUI Accordingly, we shall to a considerable degree have to the approach the problem of Norwegian attitudes towards European by integration indirectly by studying other aspects of Nor­ wegian foreign policy. Such issues as the Norwegian concep­ tion of the United Nations, the formation of NATO, and produced Nordic economic cooperation throw as much light on our problem as Norwegian attitudes towards the question of Euro­ version Digitised -4- pean integration itself. The United Nations as the provider of security, the concept of a third force, and Norway's Repository. alignment with the Anglo-Americn west must he our point of departure. Then we can focus our attention on the plans for a Nordic customs union, the Council of Europe, Unisoan and Research the Schuman Plan. II. The United Nations, the Atlantic Policy and Institute Bridgehuilding. The replacement of Halvdan Koht by Trygve Lie as foreign minister in the fall of 1940 highlighted the decision of the University Norwegian government-in-exile to abandon the traditional neutrality policy in favor of a policy of Atlantic align­ ment. There was widespread agreement among Norwegian plan­ European ners and policymakers in London that the previously implicit British guarantee of Norwegian security had to be replaced Institute. by Norwegian participation in a North Atlantic security Cadmus, system, embracing not just Great Britain but also the United on States. The system was to include most of the states adja­ University cent to the North Atlantic, though its membership varied Access somewhat from time