EEC Applications

Question 1

When was the EEC formed, who was involved initially and what was it?

Answer 1

• 1956-7
• France, Germany, Italy and “Benelux” countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg)
• it was an economic union formed by the Treaty of Rome

Question 2

What was EFTA and when was it created?

Answer 2

• 1960
• alternative to the EEC
• Britain, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden
• free trading area

Question 3

When was Britain’s application to the EEC submitted?

Answer 3

• 1961

Question 4

What happened to Britain’s application?

Answer 4

• 1963-4 blocked by de Gaulle

Question 5

Why didn’t Britain join the EEC in 1957?

Answer 5

• few politicians were keen on GB taking a leadership role in Europe
• the left were suspicious of free-market ideas. ‘The Durham miners won’t wear it. I’m afraid.’ H. Morrison
• the right considered traditional trade links with Australia and New Zealand etc as more important
• Europe was seen as continental issue: Germany had been enemies, France occupied whilst GB had won the war
• assumption that GB was still a world power
• GB wanted to balance its involvement in Europe with the commitments to Empire and the ‘special relationship’ with the US.
• domestic political reasons: had strongest coal and steel industries in Europe, recently nationalised

Question 6

Why did Britain want to join the EEC in 1961?

Answer 6

• EFTA’s relative economic weakness compared to the EEC (Britain’s economic weakness meant commonwealth exported goods elsewhere)
• Doubts about the ‘special relationship’ after Suez
• Increasing reliance on US nuclear bomb technology (Polaris) and the US wanted the UK to join the EEC
• EFTA didn’t promote British trade: EEC provide competition and encourage investment, weakness of Commonwealth to provide trading needs, and 1954-60 exports to common market rose 29% compared to 1% to sterling area countries

Question 7

Why was Britain not accepted by 1964?

Answer 7

• GB’s concern for special trading privileges for the Commonwealth
• EEC’s concerns about GB’s half-hearted support for the European project
• possible subsequent applications from the EFTA nations
• the prospect of GB becoming a rival to France for EEC leadership
• problems with GB joining EEC’s structures like Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
• fear that GB was increasingly dependent on the USA

Question 8

How significant was De Gaulle in preventing British membership?

Answer 8

• significant in context of the failure of the DeGaulle: Macmillan meeting about joint nuclear arms development (1962) and his fear about US domination of the European project
• significant as De Gaulle’s rejection was personal and unequivocal - he used his veto and the other EEC member states were shocked by the outcome