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Tel. +44 (0)20 7287 4414
Email. info@brugesgroup.com
The Bruges Group spearheaded the intellectual battle to win a vote to leave the European Union and, above all, against the emergence of a centralised EU state.
The Bruges Group spearheaded the intellectual battle to win a vote to leave the European Union and, above all, against the emergence of a centralised EU state.
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Bruges Group Blog

Spearheading the intellectual battle against the EU. And for new thinking in international affairs.

Europäische Wirtschaftsgemeinchaft Conference, Berlin

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Europäische Wirtschaftsgemeinchaft conference Berlin 1942 and the Mitteleuropäischer Wirtschaftstag (MWT)


This was the report and conference by the leading Nazi economists during WW2 which planned a European Economic Community:

http://www.jar2.com/Files/Nazism/The_Europeische_Wirtschaftsgemeinchaft_Berlin_1942.pdf


When I started looking into this, I noticed that CIB and BfB have both written on it, BUT neither of them have done an exposé on the Nazi figures and where they ended up. They also don't mention the Mitteleuropäischer Wirtschaftstag which I think is well worth a mention.


Briefings for Brexit article by David Blake: https://www.briefingsforbritain.co.uk/striking-similarities-the-origins-of-the-european-economic-community/

Campaign for an Independent Britain article by Edward Spalton: https://campaignforanindependentbritain.org.uk/witness-to-history/


Detail on the Nazi economists:

This is the list of people named as speakers at the Nazis' conference above, titled 'A European Economic Community' in 1942. Their names and topics are followed by notes on where they ended up after WW2.


Six of the nine went on to prominent roles in the German establishment or economics, including govt economics advisors. Of the other three, one died in 1945 (Koenigs), one was jailed at Nuremberg (Funk) and one does not appear in post-war records (Beisiegel).


Two of the six (Clodius and Woermann), in addition to presenting at this conference, had been closely involved in the Mitteleuropäische Wirtschaftstag (MWT), which did the early planning on the concept of German economic hegemony. The MWT ran from 1931 to 1945 and, according to German sources, 'pursued the goal of conquering the Central European market economically as well as indirectly dominating it politically.'


The description continues: 'After the hegemony over the southern and eastern European market, the struggle for the world market was to begin in a second stage. The MWT thus operated a geopolitical strategy not primarily with military means, but primarily with economic and trade policy measures'.

(https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitteleuropäischer_Wirtschaftstag)


• Walter Funk, Reichs Economic Minister and President of the Reichsbank: "The Economic Face of the New Europe"

  • Found guilty in Nuremberg War Crime Trials, jailed until 1957, died 1960.

• Dr. Horst Jecht, Professor at The Berlin School of Economics: "Developments towards the European Economic Community"

  • Became chairman of advisory board of post-War German Federal Ministry of Finance. Also prolific writer on economics until 1965.

• Dr. Emil Woermann, Professor at Halle University: "European Agriculture"

Note: (published several papers on the Nazi economy and for the duration of WW2 was on the board of the Nazi Mitteleuropäischen Wirtschaftstag (MWT), which planned the post-military economic phase expansion of German influence, see below)

  • Post-war, he became a leading academic in agricultural economics and a prominent commentator on Germany's role within EEC agricultural policy and adaptation towards it.

• Dr. Anton Reithinger, Director of the Economics Department of I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G., Berlin:

"The European Industrial Economy"

  • Post-war, he was an economist and published books including:
  • 'The international currency situation: weaknesses and solutions', 1961
  • 'Modern Investment and Asset Management', 1968.

• Dr. Philipp Beisiegel, Ministerial Director of the Reich's Labour Ministry: "The Deployment of Labour in Europe"

  • No record

• Gustav Koenigs, Secretary of State, Berlin:

"Questions About European Transport"

  • Killed in an air raid in 1945.

• Dr. Bernhard Benning, Director of the Reich's Credit Company, Berlin: "Questions About Europe's Currency"

  • Post-war, he joined the board of the Bank of German Länder and from 1957 was a board member of the German Federal Bank.


• Dr. Carl Clodius, Ambassador of the Foreign Office:

"European Trade and Economic Agreements''

  • Became German ambassador to Romania

Note: as a high ranking official he was in contact with the MWT below and took part in MWT conferences

• Professor Dr. Heinrich Hunke, Economic Committee Advisor of the NSDAP, President of Germany's Economic Publicity Agency and the Berlin Society of Industry and Commerce:

"The Basic Question: Europe - Geographical Concept or Political Fact?"

  • Post-war, he became General Secretary, then Vice President of ARL, the influential German institute for civic, state and economic planning.

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