Presentation of the book “The Power of Team Work: How the OEEC and the Marshall plan rebuilt Europe 75 years ago”, December 2023

 

Remarks by Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, OECD

5 December 2023

 

Dear Luc Bauer,

Ambassadors,

Colleagues, friends all,

Welcome to this launch of the book Teamwork: Europe’s Economic Recovery 1945 – 1952 written by Luc Bauer.

As you would recall, Mr. Bauer joined us for the 75th anniversary of the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation – or OEEC – in April.

We are pleased to have him back with us again today.

Luc Bauer is the son of Gérard Bauer, who was the first Swiss Delegate to the OEEC, and the President of its Executive Committee from 1948 to 1956.

We are also fortunate to have among our guests watching the live broadcast today, Ron Gass, who joined the OEEC in 1958.

Ron Gass witnessed its transition from the OEEC to the OECD and later became the first Director for Social Affairs, Manpower and Education – or Employment, Labour and Social Affairs as we know it today.

This book leverages Mr. Bauer’s personal insights to provide a detailed account of the OEEC’s formation, its functioning, and its role in the reconstruction and recovery of Europe following the Second World War.

Today, our membership is broader and the scope of policies we cover is wider, but we have maintained the OEEC’s commitment back in 1948 to the facilitation of improved international co-operation to help build a better future.

And we have carried forward the OEEC’s market-based economic principles, enhanced by the latest evidence-based policy insights, to help support the structural reform agenda of countries around the world.

Our efforts draw inspiration from the OEEC’s achievements, which took place right here at the Chateau de la Muette at an obviously challenging moment in European history.

Europe after the Second World War faced widespread destruction of its economic infrastructure, highly restricted trade flows, insufficient food production and of course had suffered an immeasurable human loss.

Reconstruction, recovery and indeed closer European economic integration was essential for global peace and stability – something that United States Secretary of State George Marshall recognised when developing the aid programme we know of today as the Marshall Plan.

As Luc Bauer explains in this book, the responsibility for the allocation of the aid was intentionally left to the recipients of the Marshall Plan – to encourage closer cooperation and coordination among the 18 member countries right from the start.

Within a matter of one year, delegates succeeded in reaching an agreement on the distribution of aid, while also:
- Reaching agreement on a gradual lowering of trade barriers, including the progressive elimination of quantitative import restrictions; and
- Creating an intra-European payment system that enabled countries to revitalise their trade links.

The OEEC built further on these early successes, and in its 13 years set Europe on the path to recovery and prosperity, opening trade within Europe with powerful positive impact, encouraging productivity growth and laying the groundwork for the establishment of a European Free Trade Area and ultimately the European Union as we know it today.

Today, the OECD carries forward this legacy to help support shared solutions to our shared challenges:
- Boosting global growth and the quality of that growth;
- Providing and supporting leadership on climate action in a way that is globally effective and fair, including through the OECD’s flagship Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches;
- Seizing all the benefits and opportunities of the digital transformation while better managing some of the associated risks, challenges and disruptions, for example through our support for the development of responsible AI principles, including the Hiroshima Process established by the G7 under Japan’s Presidency;
- Helping to ensure well-functioning global markets, through a rules-based international trading system in good working order, including through our work to increase the resilience of supply chains and by supporting the important work of the World Trade Organisation;
- And by advancing OECD standards through membership and partnerships.

The extraordinary economic recovery and reform journey of the OEEC’s 18 member countries, alongside the United States and Canada as associated countries, remains an inspiration for our work at the OECD today.

Luc Bauer’s insightful book illustrates some valuable lessons that we can draw from the OEEC’s history:

How even in the most difficult circumstances and in the face of the most daunting challenges, multilateralism, working together on developing and implementing solutions to shared challenges can generate powerful positive results.

How international institutions like the OECD can help ensure effective multilateralism, by facilitating data and information sharing, mutual learning, international dialogue, cooperation and coordinated action.

How open, dynamic trade and well-functioning markets are a powerful force to drive economic recovery, development and growth.

And of course ultimately, how together, we can develop better policies for better lives.