ABSTRACT
The problems that had so troubled the EC after 1973 did not quickly pass away. In many ways, the late 1970s and early 1980s seemed at the time a period of limited ambitions and limited opportunities: the EC experienced fragile economic recovery for a couple of years (1976-8), only to be hit by the second oil shock and further attempts at national ‘defensive’ action. For the most part, the economic background continued to be difficult.
