European Organization of economic cooperation
The European Organization of economic cooperation (OEEC) (in English Organization for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC)) is the ancestor of OECD. Founded in 1948, during economic of NATO, it had the initial load to distribute the appropriations granted by the Marshall plan between the countries of Western Europe. It also contributed to the liberalization of the exchanges and allowed the reinforcement of economic coordination between the Member States.
Creation
The “program of European re-establishment” or Marshall plan had as a condition the creation of a European organization making it possible the States to manage themselves the funds poured by the the United States for their rebuilding.
The OEEC is created by the convention of the April 16th 1948 of European economic cooperation, at the conclusion of the conference of Paris. It counts 17 members: the Austria, the Belgium, the Denmark, the France, the Greece, the Ireland, the Iceland, the Italy, the Luxembourg, the Norway, the Netherlands, the Portugal, the the United Kingdom, the Sweden, the Swiss , and the Turkey, as well as the future Federal republic of Germany, represented by the three commands of occupation in the West. The free Territory of Trieste also took part in work of the OEEC until the payment of its final statute.
The objectives of the OEEC are the coordination of the effort of rebuilding of Western Europe, the tightening of the economic links of the members and the liberalization of the trade and the monetary exchanges.
Operation
The OEEC is directed by the Council joining together all the Member States (normally on the level of their ambassadors), and making its decisions unanimously. This one is assisted of an Executive committee of 7 designated members each year by the Council. Work is carried out within about fifteen committees sets of themes.
They are pressed on the General secretary of the Organization, ancestor of that of OECD and installed like him with the castle of the Dumb woman, with Paris. The function of General secretary was applied by the French Robert Marjolin (1911-1986) of 1948 to 1955, then its compatriot Rene Sergent.
The history of the OEEC is dominated by several future “founding fathers” of the European Communities (Paul-Henri Spaak, Alcide De Gasperi) or other great figures of the European co-operation of post-war period (Paul Van Zeeland, Anthony Eden, Reginald Maudling).
Achievements
The OEEC first of all allowed the implementation of the Marshall plan,- while coordinating, after a fashion, the national plans of rebuilding,
- by distributing, with difficulty, the appropriations allocated by the United States.
The American pressures lead Europeans to liberalize the trade of half of the private exchanges, in the basic sectors (food goods, raw materials) and the manufactured goods. The OEEC contributes thus to the general movement of lowering of the barriers to the commercial exchanges within the framework of GATT, without however managing to create a customs union.
The OEEC also achieves an important work of harmonization and statistics information exchange.
The OEEC allows moreover the concluding of several sectoral agreements:
- in September 1950, with retroactive effect at July 1st, the European Union of the payments makes it possible to create a multilateral framework of clearing monetary, obligatory and automatic, between Member States, in bond and place of the network of bilateral agreements concluded between Member States. The clearing is founded (as with the the IMF) on a fixed parity structure (Gold Standard), and is based on average the techniques of BIS. The UEP supports the re-establishment of monetary confidence between participants and the resumption of the commercial exchanges. It allows convertibility partial of the European currencies between them. In 1958, convertibility with the dollar is restored and the UEP is dissolved.
- In 1952, foundation of a European Agency of productivity which contributes to train the European workers to the standards of productivity (Fordisme) prevailing in the United States. The AEP is financed essentially by the United States; its budget reached up to 40% of that of the OEEC.
- in October 1953, with the Spain but without the Iceland nor the Ireland, creation of a European Conference of the Ministers for transport, international organization with whole share having had, essentially, a modest role like forum of debates. The ECMT always belongs to the institutional system of OECD.
- in 1957, creation of a European Agency for the nuclear energy (ENEA), become in 1972 the Agency of the nuclear energy (AEN) of OECD.
At the conclusion of the Marshall plan (1952), the OEEC declines and is instrumentalized by the NATO (which is pressed on its committees to feed its own work). The creation of the EEC in 1957 upsets its situation and ruins, in particular, the concluding of an agreement of free trade within the framework of the Organization.
OECD, also including/understanding the United States and Canada, replaces the OEEC at the time of the coming into effect of its convention founder, in 1961.
Internal bond
- Cooperation organization and of development economic (OECD)
- List of international alliances of the Cold war
External bonds
History of the OEEC on the site of OECD