Treaty of Rastatt in European politics, associated with the shift to the balance of power politics. Austria began to negotiate the treaty with France after it had been abandoned by its allies, particularly Great Britain, during negotiations for the Treaty of Utrecht. Great Britain feared a possible connection of Austria and Spain in the person of the Emperor Charles VI, who became emperor in 1711 and claimed the Spanish throne, as it would shift the balance of power politics in Europe to Habsburg Austria. In June 1713, France launched the Rhine campaign against the Holy Roman Empire, conquering Kaiserslautern, Landau and Breisgau. After
History of the European Union headed by Walter Hallstein (Hallstein Commission) and Euratom was headed by Louis Armand (Armand Commission) and then Etienne Hirsch. Euratom would integrate sectors in nuclear energy while the EEC would develop a customs union between members. Throughout the 1960s tensions began to show with France seeking to limit supranational power and rejecting the membership of the United Kingdom. However, in 1965 an agreement was reached to merge the three communities under a single set of institutions, and hence the Merger Treaty was signed in Brussels and came into force on 1 July 1967 creating the European Communities. Jean Rey presided