It is commonly acknowledged that a key figure behind the idea of a united Europe was Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi , an aristocrat and elitist of Austro-Hungarian descent who formed the Pan-European Union in 1922, together with Archduke Otto von Habsburg, former Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary. The Pan-European Union was the first European Unification Movement and it still exists today. The early values of the Union were founded on Christianity, liberalism and social responsibility.
Coudenhove-Kalergi identified the dangers of deifying a nation state, calling it the “worst idolatry of all time”. In 1921 he became a member of the Freemasons’ Lodge in Vienna. This statement was published in a Masonic newspaper, The Beacon, in 1925:
"Freemasonry, especially Austrian Freemasonry, may be eminently satisfied to have Coudenhove-Kalergi among its members. Austrian Freemasonry can rightly report that Brother Coudenhove-Kalergi fights for his Pan European beliefs: political honesty, social insight, the struggle against lies, striving for the recognition and cooperation of all those of good will. In this higher sense, Brother Coudenhove-Kalergi's program is a Masonic work of the highest order, and to be able to work on it together is a lofty task for all brother Masons."
In 1927, the French President Aristide Briand was elected honorary president of Coudenhove-Kalergi’s Pan-Europa Union. In 1945, Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote an article on European Integration for an American magazine, which came to the attention of the American President, Harry S.Truman and was subsequently adopted as official US policy. Aristide Briand and Harry S. Truman were both Freemasons, with Truman having been Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri 1940-1941. The British Prime-Minister Winston Churchill, who lent his support to the Pan-European Union in a speech in Zurich in September 1946, was also a Freemason having joined the Studholme Lodge in London in May 1901.
The concept of European political, economic and monetary union was thus extremely well established amongst political leaders by the time of the Hague Congress in May 1948, as was the influence of Freemasonry. The Congress delegates came from all around the world, from many different professions and walks of life, and many of them had experienced directly the horrors of one or both World Wars. There is no doubt that the big question occupying their thoughts was how to prevent such hideous wars from ever happening again in Europe. The conclusion they reached was that nation states had to be subservient to a supranational body if further war was to be prevented.
In a way the Hague Congress was not wrong to identify that a nation state with aggressive leadership and intent can be the cause of war, as this had been demonstrated time and time again in European History, not least through the reign of Napoleon in France and Hitler in Nazi Germany. However the conference would also have been under the influence of fear: the fear of further conflict; the fear of a nation state in Europe becoming too powerful again; the fear of Russia becoming a dominant force in Europe; and the fear of economic progress being slowed by national policies and trade barriers.
Fear is a powerful force and I believe this drove the well-meaning and non-Masonic participants of the Congress to reach the wrong conclusion. The logical end of their proposal for political, economic and monetary union of Europe would be to create a super-state, one that would be every bit as prone as a nation state to making wrong decisions and causing suffering and conflict. Yet it appears the delegates were unable to see this, and believed strongly that a supra-national solution was the only answer. This thinking is evident from writings and speeches of many major political figures of the time:
"If a post war order is established in which each State retains its complete national sovereignty, the basis for a Third World War would still exist even after the Nazi attempt to establish the domination of the German race in Europe has been frustrated." Founding meeting of the Movimento Federalista Europeo, whose manifesto was co-authored by Altiero Spinelli, an Italian EU Founding Father (August 1943)
"There will be no peace in Europe, if the states are reconstituted on the basis of national sovereignty... The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute themselves into a federation..." Jean Monnet, a French EU Founding Father (August 1943)
“We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living.” Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister (September 1946)
“Our century, that has witnessed the catastrophes resulting in the unending clash of nationalities and nationalisms, must attempt and succeed in reconciling nations in a supranational association. This would safeguard the diversities and aspirations of each nation while coordinating them in the same manner as the regions are coordinated within the unity of the nation.” Robert Schuman, French Minister of Foreign affairs (May 1949)
"Through the consolidation of basic production and the institution of a new High Authority, whose decisions will bind France, Germany and the other countries that join, this proposal represents the first concrete step towards a European federation, imperative for the preservation of peace." Robert Schuman, French Minister of Foreign affairs, proposing the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community. (May 1950)
Following the Hague Congress, the Treaty of Paris (1952) formed the European Coal and Steel Community. The Treaty of Rome (1957) established the European Economic Community (1958). The Brussels (Merger) Treaty (1965) combined the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC) into a single institutional structure, the common market. During these years additional supranational policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy were introduced, requiring EEC member states to cede sovereignty in these areas to the EEC.
The Single European Act (1986) enabled the formation of the single market. The Maastricht Treaty (1992) created the single market, ended the European Community and replaced it with the European Union, and laid the foundations for the Euro. This was followed by the Shengen Agreement (1995), which formed the European territory with no internal borders. This eventually led to the formation of Frontex (2004) which is the EU agency managing the cooperation between national border guards and securing EU external borders. Effectively national borders had been abolished and replaced by a single, large EU border.
The Treaty of Amsterdam (2001) gave the EU legal influence in many additional areas of governance, examples include: negotiation of trade deals, foreign and security policy, peacekeeping, consumer protection, competition law, environmental law, immigration, asylum policy and allocation of research funding. With the introduction of the Euro as an accounting currency in 1999 and a full operating currency in 2002, the EU became an economic and monetary union.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who was President of France from 1974-1981 and also a Freemason, presided over the Convention on the Future of Europe to create a draft treaty for establishing a constitution for Europe. The resulting treaty was fully signed by all member states and was almost ratified in June 2005 but rejection by French and Dutch voters stopped it going through. Undeterred, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing played a prominent role in getting most of the provisions of the draft constitution included in the Lisbon treaty, which was signed in 2007 and ratified in 2009.
What made the Lisbon Treaty different from the previous Treaties is that it gave full legal status to the EU, recognising it as equivalent to a state for the first time. It created the post of President of the European Council, a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and a legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights. For the first time, it gave the European Central Bank official status as an EU institution, and also created the Court of Justice of the European Union, which had legal power to pass final judgement on any legal matter covered by the EU treaties.
The EU now has the legal status of a state, with a president, a parliament, a representative for foreign affairs, a charter of rights, multiple treaties and trade deals, and a court to enforce compliance. It has its own currency, a central bank and control of monetary policy including some national taxes, such as VAT. It has a flag, a national day and even an anthem. The EU is, in theory, only one treaty away from full political, fiscal and economic integration, with national governments becoming regional governments with ever decreasing authority and responsibilities. This final step requires national governments to cede sovereignty of the main tools of government, i.e. the ability to set taxes and budgets.
To summarise, the EU progressed from being a customs union and common market to a full‑blown supranational state entity in just 40 years, from 1967 to 2007. The EEC and common market that the UK voted to join in 1975 was a far cry from what the EU has become. In effect, a promise of increased security, greater prosperity and improved trade was the lure that brought sovereign nations into becoming mere regions within a federal state. But look at the EU today, particularly the Eurozone, and it seems these promises have become increasingly hollow.
Coudenhove-Kalergi identified the dangers of deifying a nation state, calling it the “worst idolatry of all time”. In 1921 he became a member of the Freemasons’ Lodge in Vienna. This statement was published in a Masonic newspaper, The Beacon, in 1925:
"Freemasonry, especially Austrian Freemasonry, may be eminently satisfied to have Coudenhove-Kalergi among its members. Austrian Freemasonry can rightly report that Brother Coudenhove-Kalergi fights for his Pan European beliefs: political honesty, social insight, the struggle against lies, striving for the recognition and cooperation of all those of good will. In this higher sense, Brother Coudenhove-Kalergi's program is a Masonic work of the highest order, and to be able to work on it together is a lofty task for all brother Masons."
In 1927, the French President Aristide Briand was elected honorary president of Coudenhove-Kalergi’s Pan-Europa Union. In 1945, Coudenhove-Kalergi wrote an article on European Integration for an American magazine, which came to the attention of the American President, Harry S.Truman and was subsequently adopted as official US policy. Aristide Briand and Harry S. Truman were both Freemasons, with Truman having been Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri 1940-1941. The British Prime-Minister Winston Churchill, who lent his support to the Pan-European Union in a speech in Zurich in September 1946, was also a Freemason having joined the Studholme Lodge in London in May 1901.
The concept of European political, economic and monetary union was thus extremely well established amongst political leaders by the time of the Hague Congress in May 1948, as was the influence of Freemasonry. The Congress delegates came from all around the world, from many different professions and walks of life, and many of them had experienced directly the horrors of one or both World Wars. There is no doubt that the big question occupying their thoughts was how to prevent such hideous wars from ever happening again in Europe. The conclusion they reached was that nation states had to be subservient to a supranational body if further war was to be prevented.
In a way the Hague Congress was not wrong to identify that a nation state with aggressive leadership and intent can be the cause of war, as this had been demonstrated time and time again in European History, not least through the reign of Napoleon in France and Hitler in Nazi Germany. However the conference would also have been under the influence of fear: the fear of further conflict; the fear of a nation state in Europe becoming too powerful again; the fear of Russia becoming a dominant force in Europe; and the fear of economic progress being slowed by national policies and trade barriers.
Fear is a powerful force and I believe this drove the well-meaning and non-Masonic participants of the Congress to reach the wrong conclusion. The logical end of their proposal for political, economic and monetary union of Europe would be to create a super-state, one that would be every bit as prone as a nation state to making wrong decisions and causing suffering and conflict. Yet it appears the delegates were unable to see this, and believed strongly that a supra-national solution was the only answer. This thinking is evident from writings and speeches of many major political figures of the time:
"If a post war order is established in which each State retains its complete national sovereignty, the basis for a Third World War would still exist even after the Nazi attempt to establish the domination of the German race in Europe has been frustrated." Founding meeting of the Movimento Federalista Europeo, whose manifesto was co-authored by Altiero Spinelli, an Italian EU Founding Father (August 1943)
"There will be no peace in Europe, if the states are reconstituted on the basis of national sovereignty... The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee their peoples the necessary prosperity and social development. The European states must constitute themselves into a federation..." Jean Monnet, a French EU Founding Father (August 1943)
“We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living.” Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister (September 1946)
“Our century, that has witnessed the catastrophes resulting in the unending clash of nationalities and nationalisms, must attempt and succeed in reconciling nations in a supranational association. This would safeguard the diversities and aspirations of each nation while coordinating them in the same manner as the regions are coordinated within the unity of the nation.” Robert Schuman, French Minister of Foreign affairs (May 1949)
"Through the consolidation of basic production and the institution of a new High Authority, whose decisions will bind France, Germany and the other countries that join, this proposal represents the first concrete step towards a European federation, imperative for the preservation of peace." Robert Schuman, French Minister of Foreign affairs, proposing the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community. (May 1950)
Following the Hague Congress, the Treaty of Paris (1952) formed the European Coal and Steel Community. The Treaty of Rome (1957) established the European Economic Community (1958). The Brussels (Merger) Treaty (1965) combined the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC) into a single institutional structure, the common market. During these years additional supranational policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy were introduced, requiring EEC member states to cede sovereignty in these areas to the EEC.
The Single European Act (1986) enabled the formation of the single market. The Maastricht Treaty (1992) created the single market, ended the European Community and replaced it with the European Union, and laid the foundations for the Euro. This was followed by the Shengen Agreement (1995), which formed the European territory with no internal borders. This eventually led to the formation of Frontex (2004) which is the EU agency managing the cooperation between national border guards and securing EU external borders. Effectively national borders had been abolished and replaced by a single, large EU border.
The Treaty of Amsterdam (2001) gave the EU legal influence in many additional areas of governance, examples include: negotiation of trade deals, foreign and security policy, peacekeeping, consumer protection, competition law, environmental law, immigration, asylum policy and allocation of research funding. With the introduction of the Euro as an accounting currency in 1999 and a full operating currency in 2002, the EU became an economic and monetary union.
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who was President of France from 1974-1981 and also a Freemason, presided over the Convention on the Future of Europe to create a draft treaty for establishing a constitution for Europe. The resulting treaty was fully signed by all member states and was almost ratified in June 2005 but rejection by French and Dutch voters stopped it going through. Undeterred, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing played a prominent role in getting most of the provisions of the draft constitution included in the Lisbon treaty, which was signed in 2007 and ratified in 2009.
What made the Lisbon Treaty different from the previous Treaties is that it gave full legal status to the EU, recognising it as equivalent to a state for the first time. It created the post of President of the European Council, a High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and a legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights. For the first time, it gave the European Central Bank official status as an EU institution, and also created the Court of Justice of the European Union, which had legal power to pass final judgement on any legal matter covered by the EU treaties.
The EU now has the legal status of a state, with a president, a parliament, a representative for foreign affairs, a charter of rights, multiple treaties and trade deals, and a court to enforce compliance. It has its own currency, a central bank and control of monetary policy including some national taxes, such as VAT. It has a flag, a national day and even an anthem. The EU is, in theory, only one treaty away from full political, fiscal and economic integration, with national governments becoming regional governments with ever decreasing authority and responsibilities. This final step requires national governments to cede sovereignty of the main tools of government, i.e. the ability to set taxes and budgets.
To summarise, the EU progressed from being a customs union and common market to a full‑blown supranational state entity in just 40 years, from 1967 to 2007. The EEC and common market that the UK voted to join in 1975 was a far cry from what the EU has become. In effect, a promise of increased security, greater prosperity and improved trade was the lure that brought sovereign nations into becoming mere regions within a federal state. But look at the EU today, particularly the Eurozone, and it seems these promises have become increasingly hollow.