Explaining continuity and change: The case of the Euratom Treaty

Abstract

The Euratom Treaty is one of the EU Treaties. It was adopted already in 1957, but unlike the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) it has not been amended in substance. The article has two aims, which are analyzed through the lens of historical institutionalism, an approach characterized by its focus on the effects of institutions over time. First, it states and discusses some possible reasons as to why the Euratom Treaty has not been revised. Second, it shows that although the Treaty has not been formally amended by treaty revision, an incremental gradual change has occurred anyway through displacement, layering, drift, conversion, and exhaustion. This change is more than profound: it provides the Euratom with a new rationale.