European Defence Community (EDC)
유럽방위공동체 (EDC)
The European Defence Community was a supranational defence project, originating in the Pleven Plan, that sought to integrate the armed forces of six Western European states, including West Germany, under common institutions and a shared budget. Its treaty was signed in 1952 but never entered into force after the French National Assembly halted ratification in 1954.
In depth
Formation and design
In October 1950, French Prime Minister René Pleven proposed a European army as an alternative to the West German rearmament sought by the United States. The plan would place units from France, West Germany, Italy, and the Benelux states under common command and financing, incorporating German military potential into Western defence while limiting separate national rearmament. After negotiations, the treaty was signed in Paris on 27 May 1952, alongside arrangements linking the project to NATO and establishing common military and financial institutions.
Failure and consequences
Opposition in France grew around the transfer of national sovereignty, German rearmament, and supranational military command. Perceptions of easing international tension and changes in domestic politics also weakened support, and the National Assembly postponed ratification indefinitely on 30 August 1954. The treaty never entered into force; West Germany was instead incorporated into Western defence through the 1954 Paris Agreements and its 1955 accession to NATO.
Soviet response
The EDC project condensed the early Cold War security dispute over West German rearmament. The Soviet Union regarded it as a reinforcement of the Western military bloc, and the project formed part of the background to the alternative security proposal Moscow advanced in 1954 to oppose West Germany's integration into that bloc.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) EDC treaty's proposed integrated European defence force, six signatories, 27 May 1952 signing, and failure to enter into force after French ratification was postponed in 1954.
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian-language summary of the Pleven Plan, six intended West European states, non-entry into force, and 1954 failure.
- history.state.gov U.S. State Department documentary record of the 27 May 1952 Paris signing, associated protocols, and the community's intended security framework.
- alcideproject.eu European University Institute professor's analysis of the Pleven Plan, German rearmament context, French opposition, and the 30 August 1954 postponement.