"Trade relationships between the EU and South Africa/the ACP countries"

Mattlage, Christian

"Trade relationships between the EU and South Africa/the ACP countries"

Thesis / Dissertation

1999

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Centre for Law and Society

Faculty

Faculty of Law

Abstract

The starting point from which the EU has evolved must be marked as the end of the Second World War. This war left nearly all of Europe devastated and the Malta Agreement led to a division of Europe which had never been experienced before. 1 Experiences after the first World War2 and the growing antagonism among the victorious Allies brought the western Allies to the conclusion that the reconstruction and the recreation of those parts of Europe which were under their control was essential for both keeping peace in Europe and avoiding an expansion of the influence of the USSR in Europe. The reason for the creation of the ECSC was the desire to ensure that war would never again ravage the continent of Europe in the same way that it had done on two occasions in the first h~ of the century. By joining together, sharing resources and decisions in these two crucial industries, it was hoped that former enemies would become partners. As European states in those days lacked the necessary means for such far-reaching plans it was the US which provided the essential economic and financial support in the MaJShall Plan which was accepted by 16 European countries. In order to comply with the US's request for an agreement among the European states the Organisation of European Economic Cooperation was founded in 1948. 3 From the beginning an urgent need was felt that in order to "recreate the European family ... the first step must be a partnership between France and Germany"4 which had spent the last century in constant rivalry. Therefore, Robert Schuman5 suggested placing the whole Franco-German coal and steel production under one joint High Authority, in an organisation open to participation by other European countries.