Spaak method
Encyclopedia
The Spaak-method of negotiating
is named after Paul-Henri Spaak
, who applied this method at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom
in 1956 at Val Duchesse
castle in preparing for the Treaties of Rome in 1957.
During the negotiations leading to the conference at Val Duchesse, most of the real negotiations took place prior to the actual Intergovernmental Conference
(IGC) within the Spaak Committee
that was charged with setting the agenda for the Val Duchesse conference. The final report of the committee then formed the basis for the final treaty which was then approved in Rome
. Within this negotiating method, the preparatory committee has a strong initiating and brokerage role in the phase preceding the conference, while the actual Intergovernmental Conference only deals with negotiating small changes in the original agenda prepared by the preparatory committee.
This method was also applied to the preparation of the Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU) by the Delors
Committee.
Negotiation
Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties, intended to reach an understanding, resolve point of difference, or gain advantage in outcome of dialogue, to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or collective advantage, to craft outcomes to satisfy...
is named after Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul-Henri Spaak
Paul Henri Charles Spaak was a Belgian Socialist politician and statesman.-Early life:Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to a distinguished Belgian family. His grandfather, Paul Janson was an important member of the Liberal Party...
, who applied this method at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom
Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom
The Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom was held in Brussels and started on 26 June 1956 with a session in the Grand Salon of the Belgian Foreign Ministry. The negotiations went on at the Castle of the Valley of the Duchess in Auderghem and would continue until March 1957...
in 1956 at Val Duchesse
Castle of the Valley of the Duchess
The Castle of Val-Duchesse is a former priory situated in the municipality of Auderghem in the Brussels Capital Region of Belgium. The castle is owned by the Belgian Royal Trust....
castle in preparing for the Treaties of Rome in 1957.
During the negotiations leading to the conference at Val Duchesse, most of the real negotiations took place prior to the actual Intergovernmental Conference
Intergovernmental Conference
An Intergovernmental Conference is the formal procedure for negotiating amendments to the founding treaties of the European Union. Under the treaties, an IGC is called into being by the European Council, and is composed of representatives of the member states, with the Commission, and to a lesser...
(IGC) within the Spaak Committee
Spaak Committee
The Spaak Committee was an Intergovernmental Committee set up by the Foreign Ministers of the six Member States of the European Coal and Steel Community as a result of the Messina Conference of 1955. The Spaak Committee started its work on 9 July 1955 and ended on 20 April 1956, when the Heads of...
that was charged with setting the agenda for the Val Duchesse conference. The final report of the committee then formed the basis for the final treaty which was then approved in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Within this negotiating method, the preparatory committee has a strong initiating and brokerage role in the phase preceding the conference, while the actual Intergovernmental Conference only deals with negotiating small changes in the original agenda prepared by the preparatory committee.
This method was also applied to the preparation of the Economic and Monetary Union
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union
The Economic and Monetary Union is an umbrella term for the group of policies aimed at converging the economies of members of the European Union in three stages so as to allow them to adopt a single currency, the euro. As such, it is largely synonymous with the eurozone.All member states of the...
(EMU) by the Delors
Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors is a French economist and politician, the eighth President of the European Commission and the first person to serve three terms in that office .-French Politics:...
Committee.
Source
- 50th anniversary of the Val Duchesse negotiations of the Rome Treaties (1956-2006)
- Interview with Pierre Pescatore: atmosphere and working method at the Château de Val Duchesse (Luxembourg, 10 September 2003)
- Towards a new method of constitutional bargaining?
- Interview with Jean François Poncet: the importance of the Spaak Report in the Val Duchesse negotiations