ABSTRACT
The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) influences the restructuring of coalfields in continental Europe in the 1950s and 60s, but the European Community (EC) has tended to be little involved. The Energy production has been influenced by a combination of the activities of the state and of multinational companies (MNC); within Europe supranational bodies have only a limited role. 1973-4 oil crisis was a catalyst which transformed energy consumption. Nuclear energy was of least importance in 1981 and accounted for more than 10 per cent of energy requirements in only four countries: Sweden, Finland, France and Switzerland. In 1945 western Europe was a one-fuel economy, and that fuel was coal. The Sambre-Meuse coalfield was almost completely abandoned and most of the output came from Kempenland. In France, the Monnet Plan had aimed for a major expansion of coal production. France has been especially active in building nuclear power stations in the 1980s.
