The Social Integration of Europe

Abstract

The nations of Europe are likely to retain their distinctive characters for many centuries to come, but the very existence of the Community will tend to create greater uniformity of approach in vital areas of daily life. This will happen largely because of institutional and legal pressures to conform, but there will also be a considerable informal pressure arising from the natural human characteristic of copying successful methods and procedures. The process has already gone a long way in the original Six members despite the differentiating marks of language and history. It is continuing with the second group of members, including the United Kingdom. In this context three areas in particular are worth looking at in greater depth: law and justice, social policy itself, and environmental policy.