A Politico-economic Overview

Integration has to be seen as a dynamic process which bears not only on the past but also on the future. This chapter will, therefore, concentrate on the present phase of European integration as giving hope for future progress towards its final objective, namely monetary and economic and, eventually, political union. The first part deals with the main economic, social and political problems; the second with the present situation regarding free trade, monetary integration and, in particular, Community finance; the third with perspectives on European integration; and the final section provides a summary and lists other important issues not dealt with here. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.