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24
lnterview with
Walter Hallstein
P
ROFI:SSOR
Walrer Hallsrein is a
formcr prcsident of che Euro–
pcan Commission Qanuary 1958
uncil July
1967).
He is currcnrly rhc
prcsiJenr of rhc Europcan Move–
menr, dcdic:w:d ro mai ncaining che
dynamism of che Europcan idea. The
posicion givcs him a placform ro con–
cinuc his
<.:llores
roward European ince–
grarion and uniry.
OUESTION :
Has European incegra–
cion bcen progressing fase enough
in your o pinion?
ANSWER:
Ncvcr f:.sr cnough in my
opinion. l'm a miliram European and
1
would likc ro sec ir done com–
plcrd). Thar mcans nor whar onc
calls economic tnregrarion only. bur
polirical inrc,grarion. Buc ic's only fair
ro srate char ir has moved racher well,
despire sorne periods in which we had
a slowJown.
Q .
Do you fccl chac che incegra–
cion has bccn succcssful as far as
ic's gonc?
A.
lndccd, bccausc whac we wanred
ro do was ro mcrge some pares of
polirical
sovcrci~nt)'
of che member
scarcs. Thar mcans replacing nacional
polidcs b) common policies. Euro–
pean policics.
Q .
Onc of you r mosc widely
quoced scacemencs is: "We are noc
in business.... ·•
A.
1 s:ud ir ac Harvard.
Q .
At Harvard you said, "We are
noc in business ae all. W e are in
policics... Now is full political
unicy a discanc objeccive or is ic
ncariog realicy?
A.
Ir is already half of cht realiry we
are aiming ac. Whar we are mcrging
by chis phenomenon which wc call
''cconomic incegracion" is noe ccon–
omy, because ic's nor busincssmcn
who mcrgc, nor
li rrns,
noc corpora·
cions. It's noc a coopcracivc of con–
sumers. or, lec's say a Europcan union
of workers. Iris rhe pucring cogcrhcr,
rhc mcrger of policies in chese ficlds.
Bur ic's nor ycr complcre. because che
idea of rhe final
~tare
of chis unifica–
rion of Europc was - as ir
ha~
bccn
said by \'(fin:,con Churchill for in·
scancc. or Roben chuman - ro
mcrgc abo che fidds of forcign policy
and dcfcnse policy. lf chis mcrgcr is
added and if rhe srruccurc of our
European communiries
i~
widcncd
and rc-enforced, srrengchcncd ro a
degree chat we can reall) speak of a
federa l srarc. rhcn wc havt rcachcd
our goal.
O .
What major problems and
obstaclcs srill lie in che path of
polirical union?
A.
Habics are our rnain diflicu lcy.
Jusr rhe fact chac
govcrnmenr~
and
rhe governmcnral scrviccs are nor
ready. noc
willin~.
or nor easilr
broughr ro a poinr wherc rhcy givc
up compecences chey have now. This
facr we have ro
fl~hc.
anJ for
thi~
rcason wc ha,·c
chi~
dillicult)
Q.
Wbac is che organizacion chac
you now head. caJled rhe "Euro·
pean Movemeor"? Whac is rhar
organization doing co promore rhe
cause of European uniry?
A.
Wcll, being unpleasanr wich che
governmenrs when they are moving
too slow. alercing puhlic opinion if
John Kifbum - Plom
Truth