Abstract
In 1950, the French Foreign Secretary Robert Schuman set out his idea of a Coal and Steel Community between France and Germany, which would be an organization open to some other European countries if they would accept the idea of a supra-national power. Great Britain refused to be part of it. The condition of a supra-national power immediately seemed unacceptable to Great Britain. In 1957, France, Benelux, Germany and Great Britain signed the Roma Treaty. The EURATOM and the European Economic Community were created. However, Great Britain finally estimated not being able to take part in it for the same reasons as in 1950. On January 4th, 1960 the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was created on Great Britain's initiative. This treaty, called Stockholm Treaty, instituted a free trade zone between Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Swiss and Portugal. Finland joined in 1961. In this way, Great Britain wanted to create a rival association in order to hamper the Common Trade and maybe to bring about its dislocation.
