Developing a Common Foreign Policy Towards Eastern Europe, 1988–9

Abstract

The collapse of communism in the fall of 1989 coincided with a very dynamic period in the Community’s history, what with the drive to complete the single European market and plans for an economic and monetary union. The Community manifested a new assertiveness.¹ There was a general expectation, both within the Community and outside it, that the Community would be a ‘cornerstone’ of the new European architecture. It had the right instruments to match the East European states’ priorities of economic reform, trade with the West, and inclusion in ‘Europe’. This expectation of Community leadership, however, took time to develop. In the spring of 1989, after months of hesitation, the member states finally agreed that there should be a common, consistent approach to Eastern Europe. The Community was thus in a position to take the lead in responding to the astounding events of autumn 1989.