The European League for Economic Cooperation was founded in 1946 by
Paul Van Zeeland (
Belgium),
Józef Retinger (
Poland) and
Pieter Kerstens (
the Netherlands). They were rapidly joined by other people such as
Edmond Giscard d'Estaing (
France), Harold Butler (
United Kingdom) and
Hermann Abs (
Germany). It has never been a mass movement, although it was present at
The Hague in 1948 among the founding organisations of the
European Movement. Open to all ELEC members, there are several working commissions covering various areas of economic activity and cooperation in Europe such as Economic & Social, Mediterranean and Monetary. It is in the commissions that ELEC's essential research is carried out, as well as the drafting of position papers that give rise to various publications. They frequently call on external experts to present the issues which they examine. The Monetary and the Mediterranean commissions organize from time to time conferences, which are open to a larger public, including non-ELEC members. The "Kronberg Monetary Conference" is ELEC's flagship in this respect. From the very first years of its existence, ELEC showed a keen interest for the monetary aspects of European integration which remained unabated ever since. On 14 July 1956, the Monetary Commission convened for the first time in the Schlosshotel in Kronberg (north of Frankfurt), at Deutsche Bank's invitation and under Hermann J. Abs' presidency, in order to examine the monetary conditions of the common market. It was the first in a long series of yearly gatherings at this same location, stretching almost without interruption for more than half a century. Off the record, prestigious speakers of big European banks, central bank governors, European commissioners and high officials, influential members of the European Parliament, and members of the board of the European Central Bank shared their thoughts with ELEC members, leading to animated discussions. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet in person was a regular guest of the “Kronberg" meetings. After 2007, other important European banks took over as a host of this gathering that is still called the “Kronberg” Conference. ING Group hosted a conference on March 5 and 6, 2009, in Amsterdam, and once again on November 13, 2011, in The Hague. Rabo Bank is set to sponsor the next conference. ==Organisation==