A Wider View

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, the changing industrial map of Europe has been shaped by a number of profound political and economic developments. In addition to the 1992 single market programme, these include: the political collapse of central and eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany; the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, which provides for the further social, political and monetary integration of the European Union; the conclusion of the GATT round of international trade negotiations, which will serve to weaken any ‘Fortress Europe’; and, finally, the integration of Austria and the former EFTA countries of Scandinavia into the European Economic Area and, eventually, full membership in the EU itself.