The European Council : Gatekeeper Of The European Community

Almost seventeen years after the institutions of the Treaty of Rome set up operations as the European Economic Community, a little noticed event occurred. In December 1974, heads of government announced their intentions to meet regularly on Community affairs and called themselves the European Council. At Maastricht, The Netherlands, in December 1991, the same body made history, unveiling a treaty for the Political Union of Europe. Public doubts over the Maastricht plans to add more federal elements to the EC heightened the Council role to an even greater extent.Attempting to recover Community legitimacy in December 1992, the Edinburgh Summit responded to citizens' concerns. The Community's highest politicians made decisions about setting more realistic EC financing objectives during the economic downturn. They considered as well decentralizing and democratizing EC decision-making while better informing the public about Community activities and processes. Summitry And Legitimacy -- Politics And Axle Weights -- Bureaucrats, Eurocrats, And National Politicians -- The Delors Plan And Technical Decisionmaking -- The Train Of History -- When Politicians Become Eurocrats And Eurocrats Become Politicians. Mary Troy Johnston. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [151]-163) And Index. In this reappraisal of the European Council's undervalued role in the EC, the author assesses the true power of the Council. Drawing largely on interviews with key policymakers, Johnston presents case studies of the British budget dispute and the Delors Plan for restructuring Community finances. This book presents the history of the transformation of the summit into the European Council (EC). It considers the political, organizational, and legal preparations for the increased involvement of heads of government in a more influential EC international and regional role.