Europe's Industrial Policies: An Overview

The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of the development of industrial policies within the European Communities since 1952, when the European Coal and Steel Community was established. This restriction of the field of study to the member states of the European Community will allow a more coherent and precise analysis to be put forward, covering most of the main economic centres of activity in Western Europe. Inevitably, such an approach will not deal adequately with developments in non-member states - particularly Sweden’s drive to retain international competitiveness and to rationalise its basic industries, and Spain’s rapid industrialisation following the liberalisation of the 1960’s which has brought it to tenth place in the international league tables of industrial production. The Community nevertheless accounts for the core of Western Europe’s industries and economic activity and is thus the natural place to begin any review of Europe’s industrial policies since the end of the Second World War. The EC’s industrial performance and policies are none the less inescapably tied in with that of other European states, for reasons of proximity and of commercial interest, and such external trade aspects will be considered as a natural part of the ensuing discussion.