UNITED EUROPE—In memory of Elémer Hantos, precursor of the European idea
Article published in the Journal de Genève , August 21-22, 1981, page 25.
One hundred years ago, Elemer Hantos, an internationally renowned Hungarian economist, was born in Budapest. A certain number of Genevans will probably still remember this convinced European. A member of parliament, then Secretary of State, and finally CEO of the Bank of Issue for a short time, he abandoned public functions at the age of 38 to devote himself to the problems of economic regionalism in Europe and especially to those concerning the economic cooperation of the countries of Central Europe torn apart by the peace treaties of 1919-1920.
Hantos advocated a plan that would be a sort of customs union that would begin with Hungary and Austria, followed by Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, completed by a monetary union and the abolition of the most-favored-nation clause. Such a project could not please everyone (Little Entente, Germany, Italy). Nevertheless, it was Elemer Hantos, who became a professor at the University of Budapest "who did the most to have international opinion recognize the need for a Danube economic confederation" and "thanks to the economic institutes that he founded in Vienna, Budapest, Brno and Geneva, Hantos exerted a strong influence on European opinion and helped to focus attention on Central Europe" (Jacques Droz). To this end, in 1930 a "Central European Study Centre" was founded at the University of Geneva, of which Professor Ch.-A. Burky was director and with which Mr. Ledermann, future professor of international relations, at that time a privat-docent, collaborated. Between 1923 and 1938, Hantos often came to Geneva where he had numerous discussions with statesmen interested in his profound knowledge of economic problems. From 1923 onwards, he took part in the work of the Economic Committee of the League of Nations and the following year was appointed its rapporteur. During his stays, he also gave lectures, notably at the said Study Centre, at the Aula of the University and at the University Institute of Advanced International Studies at the invitation of W. Rappard. Moreover, until recent years, he was the only Hungarian scholar to teach in the framework of the "temporary courses" of this institute. His lectures were warmly received by a large and attentive audience who were not left indifferent by the open-mindedness of this pioneering European.
The written work of E. Hantos is considerable. During the relatively short period of twenty years between the two world conflagrations, half a hundred works dealing with agrarian, monetary, river, postal, etc. problems between the Danube countries appeared and were translated into several languages. Political events - finally - overtook Hantos, who died in 1942. "His warnings against the "primacy" of politics in the economic life of nations fell on dry ground." (Ledermann) "And it was ultimately selfish considerations that prevented the creation of a bloc of Central European states" - "As a result, contrary to what Hantos had wished, the aspirations of the small nations, which were unable to coordinate, were exploited by the "Great Ones" for their political games and their European rivalries. This is how the way was given free rein to German imperialist conceptions" (Jacques Droz) and then to socio-imperialist conceptions.
H. S.