Evening star., 1953-09-26
Rome and European Unity

Primarily because OF French heStancy,
little or no optimism can be found at the six
nation meeting now being held in Rome in an
effort to draft constitution for a European
political federation. However, even though the
meeting is not likely to yield spectacular results,
there is at least this much to be said for it, 1t
promises to promote additional progress, no
matter how SMALL toward integrating and uni
flying the free half of the continent
The participants in this conference repre-
sent the foreign ministers of Belgium, the
Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, West Germany
and France These six countries have already
pooled part of their separate sovereignties by
joining together in what might be called the
start of an economic union-the supranational
Coal and Steel Authority now in operation.
They have also signed treaty-Which has yet
to be ratified by the French and most of the
otherS-to merge nlilitarily in European De-
fense Community with single information
allied army to be organized within the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization Over and above
all this, in their current Rome talks, they have
undertaken to formulate a constitutional sys-
tenn for political federation that would be
superior to, and absorb, the CSA, the EDO and
any similar enterprise that might be established
in the future.
But France, because of it's internal politics
German militarism, has grown increasingly re-
luctant-despite having initiated them-to press
forward with these moves toward free Europe's
integration. This is especially true as regards
the EDO, and it is the main reason why not
much more than talk is expected to result from
the present Rome meeting. Yet, if the meet
ing's prospects do not justify optimism, neither
do they justify peSSimism. Actually, considering
the difficulties and complexities of the task
involved, it would be naive in the extreme to
SuppoSe-even if the EDO were already ratified
by the French, as it has been by the Germans
that the six nations could sit down and agree
within a matter of weeks on constitution
creating a supranational parliament, executive
authority, high court and body of organic laws
to govern them in great new political
federation.
This idea of federation has been persistent
dream among Europeans for centuries past but
their nationalistic differences, their clashing
economies, their ancient rivalries and their
deep-rooted hates have kept them until recent
years, from making any headway toward the
dreams fulillment. Against such background,
is it surprising that six of their free nations
have run into difficulty trying to convert them
selves into kind of United States? The answer
would certainly seem to be that what is sur
prising is not that they are having difficulty
but that they are trying to unite as never before
in history-and with an unprecedented degree
of success, notably in organizing the Coal and
Steel Authority and in taking long steps toward
the yet-to o-be-ratifed Defense Community.
1t may be, of course, that France-the key
power in this Situation-will follow go-it-alone
policy setting back the progress that has been
made thus far. But that seems doubtful, for
the French Socialists have just softened their
opposition to the EDO, and there is good reason
to believe that the current Rome meeting will
inject at least measure of new vigor into the
drive for unity 1t is too early, in any event,
for peSsimism. European federation is tre-
mendously far-reaching and revolutionary
project, and a lot of time and an immense
amount of effort and patience will be required
before it can even begin to take on solid shape.
To argue otherwise is to give voice to gross
oversimplifcation of all the tremendously COM
plex factors involved.