ABSTRACT
The West German Chancellor, Willy Brandt, expressed in a press conference 8 October 1971 in very simple form some of the basic strategy in the growth of the European Community. The secret of the success of the European Community so far is perhaps its ability to combine a clear view of the goal, ‘une union sans cesse plus etroite entre les peuples Europeens’ with pragmatism and a measure of restraint lest the process go too fast. The real extension at the level below full membership took place outside Europe. Nigeria signed an association agreement with the EC on 16 July 1966, and even though the agreement never took effect because of the civil war raging in that country, it was significant as a first inroad into Commonwealth territory. The Council of Europe is in itself evidence of how little intentions mean when not backed up by capabilities.
