The indifference of consumers to the creation of the EC common market, 1979–92*

Against the backdrop of the politico-economic crises of the 1970s the member states of the European Community began putting political weight behind the creation of the common market to strengthen their economies against global competition. At the same time, European institutions bolstered the role of consumers – the key constituents of market integration – on the European level. Despite the increasing emphasis European institutions put on consumers, consumer protection and consumer governance, significantly, however, we know little about how consumers experienced the development of the single market, which is at the core of the European Union’s global power. This article takes this puzzle as a starting point for trying to capture the responses of consumers to market integration during its formative period, from 1979 to 1992. The article demonstrates originality in, for the first time, shifting historical research on the Community’s single market from policy- and decision-making by elites to the experiences of consumers. This research trials an innovative approach to rigorously capture consumer responses based on Eurobarometer surveys and the content of national consumer magazines. A comparison of diverse national experiences is provided by focusing on (West) Germany, a founding member of the Community, and the United Kingdom, which joined in 1973. The article demonstrates that consumer responses ranged from endorsement to rejection, with the most significant finding being indifference to the political and legal changes emanating from European market integration. The article argues that the British and (West) German consumer groups did not attempt to educate their readerships about European integration throughout the formative period of market integration, nor create a forum for debating its advantages and disadvantages. The finding about the indifference of consumers to market integration is significant in highlighting that consumer groups contributed to enabling a ‘permissive consensus’ for European market integration with long-term consequences.