European Infrastructures: Catalyst or Indicator of Changing European Economic Orders in the Single Market Project of the 1980s/90s?

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Christian Franke
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History ; Economic and Social History
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 530250049

The project aims to critically examine the fundamental change in the EC market and competition order for infrastructures in the 1980/90s and to reassess its significance for the completion of the Single Market project. How and why were infrastructures subjected to competitive market orders? What interdependencies can be identified between individual infrastructures? What role did infrastructures play in the overall transformation of European market and competition orders in the 1980s/90s? Were they catalysts or indicators of the transformation of the European economic order in the context of the Single Market project? Infrastructures are so interesting because in hardly any other economic sector did the regulatory differences clash so intensively and result in such radical transformations. During this period, the EC noticeably expanded its competences, for the first time consistently exploited already existing competences and pushed back the member states in important core areas of state activity, both operationally and regulatively. The project is based on the working hypothesis that the years between 1978 and 1984, which have received little attention in research so far, were actually the decisive years for the change in the market and competition order. A number of minor changes in individual market segments and symbolically significant competition policy decisions by the Commission and the ECJ triggered a cumulative effect that then led to comprehensive political action in the second half of the 1980s. If this thesis can be corroborated, then it must be further asked to what extent the competitive transformation in the infrastructure sectors fuelled the internal market project in general? Do the developments and dynamics behind the Single European Act and the Maastricht Treaty need to be reassessed? The focus of the project is on inland transport, telecommunications and aviation, because these sectors are representative of the transformation to a new European market and competition order. They are best suited for examining the catalyst and indicator function and at the same time for investigating interdependencies between the individual sectors.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants