EUROPE's RECOVERY: LEARN FROM THE MARSHALL PLAN


JUNE 26:

There is for the moment a lot of talk about how we in Europe should ensure a recovery after the present corona crisis. Everybody seems to agree that special and huge initiatives are needed.  Some have said that we need a new Marshall Plan for Europe – esp. to help those countries which are hardest hit.

What was the Marshall Plan?  It was a huge assistance programme, which the US initiated in 1948 to help Europe getting back on its feet again after the World War II. The programme lasted for four years – from 1948-52.  Its size was more than 12 billion dollars. In today’s money  ( 2020 ) it would be 129 billion dollars.  Most of the assistance was gifts, which should not be paid back.  Altogether 16 European countries accepted the offer.

The money was given with a number of important conditions:  The European countries had to abolish trade barriers between them, so trade could prosper again. And they had to work closely together. This was the start of the organisation OEEC ( Organisation for European Economic Cooperation ).  It was years later replaced by the OECD.

The plan was called the Marshall Plan – after the then American foreign minister George Marshall ( 1880-1959 ). He had in 1947 proposed the plan.  He was earlier American general – head of the US army during the whole of WWII.  In 1953 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his plan.  The plan official name was: European Recovery Program.

Why did the US give this huge support to Europe? They did it for several reasons:  The Americans wanted a strong Europe – politically and economically. And they feared that a weak and unstable Europe would be an easy victim for Stalin’s aggressive expansionist plans.

Why is all this relevant in today’s situation?  Because we in many ways are in the same situation again. Not in relation to the US, but internally in Europe.  We need to get our economy in full speed again – to ensure our welfare states and our European way of life. And we have to avoid economic chaos and instability, which easily brings political extremism mixed with populism and nationalism.  We have already seen enough of that ☹

That is why the European Commission – supported by most of the EU member states – has proposed a huge support programme called REVOVERY PROGRAMME FOR EUROPE.  Support with clear conditions.  And a mixture of gifts and loans.

There is in today’s situation a lot to be learned from the Marshall Plan. Not least for those few countries, which do not yet have the political courage and feeling of solidarity to know that such a huge programme will be an advantage to EVERYBODY in Europe.  Things take time.  Also mobilising political courage.  Personally, I am sure that it will all happen at the end 😊

Photo of foreign minister George Marshall:



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