Conclusions

In this book, most of the important economic policy areas of the European Economic Community have been examined. In some fields, as we have seen, the Community has been successful; in others, its performance has been disappointing. However, in all sectors, the Common Market has now arrived at a crossroads. The fundamental question which remains to be asked is: what basic policy options should the EEC now adopt? Should the Community become protectionist, for example, or should it become more ‘open’? In answering these questions, most of the contributors suggest that a threefold approach should be adopted. They propose that the Common Market place a greater emphasis on quality since the adoption of such a policy is more suited to the Community’s levels of education and training. Also, such a policy implies that the EEC can become more ‘open’. This is precisely the second general proposal running through most of the contributions. The Community should thus align its pricing systems and policies more with world levels. These two aforementioned policy proposals imply a third one, a greater degree of Community cooperation and coordination. Indeed, the general feeling is that at no time in the history of the European Economic Community was the adoption of such a policy more necessary. This call for increased cooperation and coordination between the Member States does not imply the creation of Community cartels or protectionist organisations but rather the creation of an environment which will lead to a more efficient use of scarce resources.