The UK and the EU (I) A Brief (Economic) History

The UK and the EU (I) A Brief (Economic) History

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The uk complex relationship with the EU.

From the first period until today.

Bobo2 and .

Focus on the economic relationship between the EEC,EU and UK. The EEC was focused in an economic union. The political dimensions wasn’t never absent but built with the economic one. Th difficult member of EU that first refused to take part in indiction project and then became member for other things.

The post-war period (1945-1973)

- Winston and his 2 speeches:

Zurich Speech, 19 September 1946

The Hague Speech, 7 May 1948.

He explains that the United States of Europe would be a good thing and the EU countries should built this line at the same time. At the end the EU wouldn’t do something so he encourages all the countries to move towards it.

He tries to explains why there was this rejections from the countries of EU:

Britain wanted war and therefore he believed he could manage the peace. The UK saw itself as a very important country for the international state and the uk was seeing as something that was manful for the continental state, specially for those who lost the war such as the Germany. They reiterated the Germany and check the future ambitious they may have.

The Britain was against the idea of federalism (picture of parliament) because the idea is that the present at the time, (actually used again the same way during the Brexit referendum) is that anything that may be a federal state was to be rejected on the principal souveranity , because parliament (essential for British democracy) could not be limited by a federal project, union seeing as a threat. The parliament is essential and nothing should limit it. Justify the fact that the Britain couldn’t take part in anything of European union.

At the time the Britain was still at the head of the very important and large imperial. The main focus, including the trade, was with the commonwealth.

At the time was quite clear that uk wouldn’t be involved in the first faces of the European projects.

THE EARLY STEPS OF THE European Construction

1952: Schumann declaration (European Coal and Steel Community).

1957: Treaty of Rome signed without the UK.

European Economic Community (eec) Pillar of this community autonomy.

European Atomic Energy Community.

The UK was only observer, they didn’t want to control the EU communities. Then it was invited again in 1957 and another pillar of community. And it wasn’t engaged in significant way and was signed without the UK. Also it was worried that the EEC would damaged the relationship with the commonwealth countries. So, uk wanted to be free to trade with the rest of the world.

Britain was losing its imperial and led to the commonwealth wasn’t satisfy. Economically was very good, after the different problems of the economic.

After joining the exec, rapidly had economic problems (context why it refuses to join the eec they had this problems). The countries take advantages from the EEC such as the France and Germany and in 1950s their economies was much better than 50 years before. There was a consensus for joining it. The commonwealth countries were more interested in the EEC than in the UK. The EEC was very large and in that context the Britain found itself isolated in the west union. And see that the EEC was successful, so they wanted to finally joint it in 1961 then again 1967 where the French President de Gaulle said non for twice for this and after his resigned (1969) they started the negotiation for the UK. So 1 January 1973 as the same time of Denmark and Ireland, they became the EEC membership. This was controversial at that time, even if they applied there still was a lot of debated about if it was a good idea.

After 2 years the British organise the first referendum on the membership on the Union.

The Labour Party in 1975, tries to negotiate the membership and decided to organise this referendum in order to ask people if the uk should remain or not. So organised in 1975 and 67% in favour its membership. That referendum proved that political parties was divided. The labour party, at that time was divided and lot of people in this party was against the community more than in the Conservative, because the EEC was seen as a capitalist project, in favour of free trade, of competition and Labours wants all the British industries to impose checks on good (against the European roles).

The conservative was much more in favour of its membership, thatcher became leader of the Conservative in 1975, she was strongly in favour of remaining in EEC and she campaigned with other Conservative to say yes to Europe.

There was also a division inside the 2 parties: not a left or right wing but also inside.

In the end Britain remains member but if we look of the consequences of its membership, it joined in 1973 which was particular at this time is the moment that there was a global economic crisis, and because of that consequences its like the uk didn’t enjoyed the benefit of the membership like the others. And the relationship between the EEC and UK ,at

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