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

42
Jan Karlas and Petr Kratochvíl
recall the trade cooperation of some CMEA members (but not Czechoslovakia)
with the EC that was launched in the 1960s.
It is not our ambition to suggest here any more specific lines of inquiry into the
history of the policy of Czechoslovakia or the CR towards European integration.
Nevertheless, our findings suggest that a comparison of Czech approach with the
approaches of some other CMEA countries in particular periods of the Cold War
(especially the 1980s, also the 1960s) would address a very interesting topic. As
pointed out, the existing publications on the policies of CEE countries towards the
EC during the Cold War treat those countries as a bloc and largely do not explore
potential divergences in their behaviour. Thus, such an analysis could help us to
determine to what extent the relations of the communist Czechoslovakia toward the
EC were, indeed, more negative or less intensive than in the case of the other
CMEA member states and to specify the sources of those possible divergences. In
addition, the 1990s also witnessed some variations in Czech attitudes when
compared with other post-communist CEE countries both at the formal level (e.g.
the timing of membership applications) as well as at the substantive level (e.g. the
euroscepticism of Czech population). Hence, in-depth comparisons that would
focus on the 1990s and go beyond the existing comparative work could again
deepen the current knowledge about Czech attitude to the European integration
process.