EUROPE: Union

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Behind the glassy facade of Strasbourg's "Capitol of Europe," the delegations of 15 nations finally came to a decision on the tempo and technique of European union. By a weighty majority (82 to 19, with 16 abstentions), the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe last week voted 1) to go slowly, and 2) to travel toward the goal via intergovernmental "specialized agencies."

The vote was a reversal for the once high-hopeful, go-fast faction. Led by the French and Italians, the ardent federalists had urged an immediate supranational authority; last summer they seemed to have the support of the most of the Consultative Assembly. But British Socialists adamantly refused to go along. They stood for union, they insisted, but not union now. First, to protect Britain's planned economy, there should be a "functional" approach through which the nations could get together in particular economic, social, cultural and other fields. As an example of what they meant, the British cited the Schuman plan to integrate French and German coal-steel production. Eventually, those functional agreements, like foundation stones, would be the basis for mature and solid European unity.

Scandinavian, Benelux and other Continental delegates gradually shifted to the British point of view, declined to support a federated "little Europe" (i.e., without Britain). In voting last week for specialized agencies, the Consultative Assembly recommended that work begin at once to seek intergovernmental agreement in transport and agriculture.

From unity the Assembly turned to defense. Debate opened with the French at loggerheads with the British and the Germans over the elaborate French plan for a supranational West European Defense Ministry to run a West European army in which the largest German units would be battalion strength.

Then France's Foreign Minister Robert Schuman made a gesture toward the go-slowly British. He argued that the French defense plan "does not imply creation of a superstate, but only of special institutions in a restricted field." Next, for the benefit of the equality-conscious Germans, Schuman said: "No discrimination will be made between the participating powers." (It was reported that France now agreed to German troops at the regimental level.) The Assembly gave Schuman an ovation; by a heavy majority, it voted for a European army with German participation.