Luxembourg Compromise - The Empty Chair Crisis

The Empty Chair Crisis

In July 1965, intergovernmentalist Charles De Gaulle boycotted European institutions due to issues he had regarding new political proposals by the European Commission. This event, known as The Empty Chair Crisis, impacted the European Community. Several issues regarding European political integration led to The Empty Chair Crisis. De Gaulle believed that national governments should move towards integration and did not agree with the Commission’s attempt to create a shift towards supranationalism, extending powers beyond national borders. After the failure of the Fouchet Plan and De Gaulle's veto of Great Britain’s application for EC membership, the Commission attempted to move towards integration by proposing an idea that would combine the Common Agricultural Policy, the European Parliament, and Commission. De Gaulle supported the creation of the CAP and favored its enactment. However, he disagreed with the Parliament’s new role, the Commission’s strength, the shift towards supranationalism, and the budget proposals for financing the CAP. De Gaulle made it a condition that majority voting with a right to veto must exist if France was to participate in the European Community. When de Gaulle was not granted a more intergovernmental Commission, or voting and veto rights, the French representative left the Council of Ministers. This event was not resolved until the Luxembourg Compromise in January 1966.