ABSTRACT
Although the tapestry of Western European organizations was woven by 1960, some of its threads have been unravelled and rewoven as states changed their perceptions of national interest. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the evolution of the different organizations and how relations between them have developed. We begin with the Council of Europe, because its broadly based membership made it a pan-Western European organization. The chapter then looks at the development of the rival economic groups, the European Community and EFTA, before examining co-operation among the Nordic states. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the unique features of the European Community and the reasons why it has emerged as the core regional organization in Western Europe.
