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Legal Aspects of OEEC

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

Jan Szuldbzynski
Jan Szuldbzynski*
Affiliation:
Former judge of the Warsaw Court of Appeal
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Extract

The OEEC meeting in Paris in March, 1952, was a turning point for the organisation. Its original function of allocating Marshall Aid having virtually ended, the member-States have had to decide to restrict their activities to the left-over functions concerning intra-European trade and payments or to develop into an effective instrument for co-ordinating European economy.

Initially in the report of September 22, 1947, submitted to the U.S. by the Conference of the sixteen original member-States, the OEEC was described as temporary and limited to the four-year period of U.S. help. In its constitution, however, the elaboration and execution of a joint recovery programme is considered to be only “an immediate task.” The chief aim of the organisation is to be the “achievement of a sound European economy through the economic co-operation of its members” —and this is certainly a function of a permanent character. The general undertaking of the signatories to “work in close co-operation in their economic relations with one another” also suggests a more permanent association.

At the decisive meeting of March 29, 1952, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Butler, declared that it was on OEEC foundations “that we must build and rely for the future.” He also expressed the view that it was more imperative than ever that Europe should resolutely devise collective measures of self-help.

After a review of the new position, the following three primary purposes have been named for keeping the organisation alive: — (1) to raise European production, (2) to eliminate external trade deficits, particularly with the dollar zone, and (3) to help stabilise the internal finances of member-States.

Type
Notes
Information
International & Comparative Law Quarterly , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , October 1953 , pp. 579 - 595
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 1953

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References

page 579 note 1 The Observer, March 30, 1952.

page 580 note 2 The Times, October 22, 1952.

page 580 note 3 Benelux Economic Union, Franco-Italian Customs Union, Scandinavian Economic Co-operation Committee working for the liberalisation of trade between Scandinavian nations, European Coal and Steel Community.

page 581 note 4 Speech by the Rt. Hon. Ernest Bevin, M.P., urging Western European economic co-operation, House of Commons, January 22, 1948; Documents on European Recovery and Defence, Eoyal Institute of International Affairs, 1949, p. 25.

page 581 note 5 Ibid.

page 581 note 6 Ibid.

page 582 note 7 A.J.I.L., vol. 45, 1948, p. 137.

page 583 note 8 B.10.

page 585 note 9 The Times, August 11 and October 9, 1952.

page 585 note 10 Ibid., December 8, 1952.

page 586 note 11 Keesing's Contemporary Archives, 1950–1952; May 12–19, 1951, p. 11465.

page 588 note 12 Series A 1, p. 30.

page 588 note 13 Series B 4, p. 27.

page 589 note 14 Conformable to OEEC and B.C.A. reports, the term “end-use” denotes the final utilisation in recipient countries of goods and materials furnished by the American assistance.

page 589 note 15 Second Beport to Congress of the Economic Co-operation Administration, p. 82.

page 589 note 16 Fifth Report to Congress of the Economic Co-operation Administration, p. 50.

page 590 note 17 The Times, July 8, 1952.

page 590 note 18 Ibid., August 5, 1952.

page 591 note 19 Third Report to Congress of the Economic Co-operation Administration, p. 59.

page 591 note 20 Sixth Report to Congress of the Economic Co-operation Administration, p. 62.

page 594 note 21 The Times, June 5, 1952.

page 595 note 22 Art. 24 and paragraph 2 (a) of Art. 1 concerning the exemption from the m.f.n. rule of the British Commonwealth.