Commercial Policy — Friends and Neighbours

Abstract

At the time of its inception there was a good deal of nervousness in the world at large that the Community would build itself into an inward-looking fortress, increasingly isolating itself from the outside world. Formally, this was never a well-founded fear. In the first place, Article 237 of the Treaty provided that any like-minded European state could apply for membership and, as has been seen, in fact the Community has been enlarged on three occasions since 1958. Secondly, Part 4 of the Treaty (Articles 131 to 136) provided that ‘non-European countries and territories which have special relations’ with the member countries could be brought into association with the Community. Thirdly, Article 238 provided that a similar special association, embodying reciprocal rights and obligations, could be created between the Community and any other third country or group of countries. Finally, Articles 110–116 provided for the formulation by the Community of a common commercial policy which would contribute, hopefully, to ‘the harmonious development of world trade’. All this was scarcely indicative of an inherently isolationist and protectionist stance.