The 1970s and the early 1980s are usually viewed as periods of crisis for European integration especially for its flagship institution, the European Commission. The period between the oil shock of 1973 and the Delors Commission presidency (1985-1995) is usually considered as a blind spot. This panel aims to contest this vision by showing how the Commission managed to keep its central place in the institutional system of the then European Economic Community and thus to “Resurrect” with the Single Market Programme. Some parallels can be drawn with the current situation, since all issues explored in this panel are still at the forefront of today’s European Union.

All papers are based on the use of archival collections of the Commission and of other actors (national archives, private papers, etc.). Michael Geary will analyse the early years of the complex question of British membership of the EEC by examining the role of the Commission during the enlargement discussion and the subsequent renegotiation. Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol will explore the attempt of the Commission to develop its competences in a new field, banking regulations, with limited success at the beginning. Laurent Warlouzet will examine competition policy, and in particular the merger regulation negotiation, to understand how the Commission managed to progressively centralize the implementation of this field. Billy Davies will provide a transversal vision on a key element: the development of EEC law and the resistance that it triggered. He will explore the vision of the Head of the Commission Legal Service.