North Atlantic Treaty Organization

At its meeting in Paris on December 13, 1956, the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as was reported in April 1957, heard Mr. Selwyn Lloyd explain in general terms his “grand design” for Europe, which was later presented to the Council of Europe at Strasbourg. The principles of his grand design, according to Mr. Lloyd, were the maintenance of the unity of NATO and the expansion of European integration to include not only the federation of France, west Germany, Italy and the Benelux countries, but also such states as Austria, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Three elements were contained in the plan: the politico-strategic, the economic, and the parliamentary. In the politico-strategic field, Mr. Lloyd stated that development depended chiefly upon the development of NATO in the direction of closer consultation, as recommended by the Committee of Three of the Council of NATO. In the economic field, it was the view of the United Kingdom government that so far the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) was the basic channel for the development of the closest economic relations, and that it would be desirable for the machinery which would be set up for the European free trade area to be part of OEEC. Mr. Lloyd proposed, in connection with parliamentary matters, that one assembly be established for the Council of Europe, Western European Union (WEU), NATO, OEEC, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), Euratom, the Common Market, and the free trade area, as well as for any European organizations which might be established in the future.