'The Special-Purpose Association of Functional Integration According to Hans Peter Ipsen. A Contribution to the History of Concepts and to the Debate on finality in European Studies': The question of its finality has accompanied the process of European unification since its beginning. Hans Peter Ipsen made a powerful contribution to this discussion with his technocratic description of the European Communities as special-purpose associations of functional integration. This study traces the genesis and reception of this concept and examines its topicality in the context of current debates on the finality of European integration.