The German Project for an Economic Europe: the Ordnungsdenken in the EECOrdnungsdenken

This article sheds light on the West German project for the EEC and on the specific contribution of German political and economic culture to the European compromise. Drawing on a transnational comparative perspective, it highlights the continuity and consistency of the German diplomatic position from the 1950s to the 1980s. The German project was built on a long-term theoretical framework founded on “order thinking”, which contributed decisively to the economisation of European integration. This epistemic tradition was based on the decision-making processes of German democracy, the distribution of European competences and on the continuity of administrative structures, practices and officials within the Fede⁠ral Ministry for Economics. Far from being a mere “veto player”, West Germany successfully defended a long-term liberal project that contributed to the gradual shift of the Community towards a free market-orientation.