Fouchet Plan I

On November 2, 1961, the intergovernmental Fouchet Committee (named after the French diplomat Christian Fouchet, who was its President), which was authorized by the Heads of State and Government to draft a study on promoting a European Political Union, submitted its first Plan (a preliminary draft had been submitted on October 19, 1961). A key element of this Plan was the proposal for cooperation in foreign policy and defense matters and the strengthening of the intergovernmental nature of the institutions. However, from the outset, this Plan triggered strong objections, and on January 18, 1962, a second revised Plan was submitted, known as the Fouchet Plan II.
The related negotiations failed due to objections on three points: the ambiguity regarding the participation of Great Britain [in the enlargement negotiations], the disagreement on creating a European defense system aimed at independence from the Atlantic alliance, and the excessively intergovernmental nature of the proposed institutions, which posed a threat to maintaining the supranational dimension of the existing community institutions.
Unfortunately, as no agreement was reached on the proposals of the Fouchet committee, negotiations between member states were suspended in 1962.