An Analysis on The Importance of The ‘Luxemburg Crisis’ In The Context of the Development of West European Integration

The 1965 Luxemburg Crisis significantly affected the pace of European integration process. The first decade of the integration passed enthusiastically for further integration between the member states and showed great success both economically and politically. According to Neofunctionalists, full integration would happen thanks to spillover effects. However, the nearly two decades of integration until the mid-1980s passed lost for West European states because of the Luxemburg Crisis. Intergovernmentalists objected to the neofunctionalist arguments. They claimed that the effect of national governments had to be taken into account in external politics.. The Luxemburg Compromise ended the crisis. However, the vestiges of the Luxemburg Compromise, such as unanimity voting system in the Council of the European Union, have still affected significantly the European integration process. This study aims to evaluate the significance of ‘the Luxemburg Crisis’ on the process of the development of West European integration. In this study, we will try to prove why the pace of integration process slowed down between the years of 1960 and 1985. Also, we will explain how the national states could play an important role in international politics when their national interests are at stake.