journal of european integration history revue d'histoire de l ...

128
Erin Delaney
The Commission introduced ‘new ideas’ into the European debate, beginning
with the Medium-Term Policy Programme, drawn up to cover the years 1966-1974,
which was described as “an exercise in dirigisme”. 35 In fact, as early as 1964, the
Commission Reports show a marked increase in their discussions of social policy
and social harmonisation – a turn from the capitalist enterprise to which Labour objected.
In that same year, the Commission attempted to create a measure of social
harmonisation in the area of wages and trade unions. 'Initiative 1964' was devised
to call “the member States' attention to the need for increasing the close collaboration
in order to promote the levelling upwards of living and working conditions”. 36
A law on collective bargaining was in its second reading stage, and business and
trade unions were to participate in a task force to make changes in a wages policy.
In addition, a social policy for agriculture was announced, and advisory committees
were formed on the social problems of farmers, and paid farm-workers. 37
The most important change, vis-à-vis the Labour Party’s attitude, was the introduction
of the concept of ‘Regional Policy’, mentioned for the first time in the June
1965 Report. The Commission stated that “social policy and regional policy are
closely linked. A balance must be sought between mobility of labour between sectors
or regions, which is essential for a dynamic economy, and the social and economic
disadvantages which could arise from excessive inter-regional migration”. 38
This section of the Report and the work the Commission had been doing directly
addressed one of Labour's fears about the EEC, incorporated under the condition of
retaining the freedom to plan the economy. The social policy of the Commission in
the area of employment had consisted of an extensive retraining and relocation programme.
Funds were pooled by the Six, and the Commission directed them to specific
areas within individual countries for unemployment relief. However, prior to
the change in the Commission’s priorities, most of the money went to relocating
workers - almost twice as much for relocation than for retraining. This new Community
regional policy was a closer articulation of Labour’s policy preference, outlined
in its 1964 and 1966 election manifestos: that money was better spent encouraging
industry in the poorer regions, rather than relocating those workers.
Another new policy introduced in 1965, in line with existing Labour policies,
was the formation of a committee designed to distribute the money of the European
Development Fund to projects originating in the less-developed EEC Associated
Countries. Funds were provided for infrastructure, as well as public institutions,
such as schools and hospitals. This programme provided on a Community level
much of what the Labour Government was interested in providing to its Commonwealth.
In the 1964 Labour manifesto, the Government promised to create a Ministry
of Overseas Development in order to provide funding and aid to the developing
countries of the world. In 1966, Labour claimed that it had “increased the flow of
35. M. CINI, The European Commission, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1996, p.45.
36. Eighth General Report on the Activities of the Community (The EEC Commission: June 1965),
p.251.
37. Seventh General Report on the Activities of the Community (The EEC Commission: June 1964).
38. Eighth General Report …, op.cit., p.164.