Britain and the European Union
What do you mean we’re Europeans?
The Single European Act
• Four freedoms [all of
movement]
• goods
• people
• capital
• services
• Requires:
• abolition of customs
controls
• removal of border
controls
• UK thought that as an
island this didn’t apply
• forgot airports
Schengen
• If freedom of
movement, freedom of
criminals
• and how do you
control immigration?
• Extradition?
• Rules of admissibility
of evidence?
• Schengen Information
System
• hot pursuit
• common visas
• identity cards
• Sorry, we’re British.
We’re not going to
open our borders.
The Single Currency
• Pure Thatcher:
• reduce govt borrowing
• reduce public
spending
• so why didn’t the UK
like it?
• Queen’s head!!!
• Business cycle linked
to US not Europe
• London or Frankfurt?
• Hot money and big
bang
QMV and Community matters
[first pillar]
• Council, Commission
or parliament?
• Codecision
[Amsterdam]
• Santergate and vetting
Commissioners et al
• end to veto
• Changing balance
between nation states
and Community
• Too many
Commissioners
• 10+ new members
coming in not very
democratic, either
• Germany now huge
• superstate?
• subsidiarity
Common Foreign and Defence
Policy [second pillar]
• Failure in Bosnia
• US isolationism
• save money re:
procurement
• save money on
diplomats
• speak with one voice
• be more powerful
• Us Brits fight best||
• We won the war!!
• No common friends
no common foes only
common interests!!
• Rapid Response Force
Justice and Home Affairs
[third pillar]
• Where did this come
from?
• Organised crime
• drugs
• terrorism
• antiques
• immigration
• Need for common
laws
• human rights
• judicial procedures
• England and Wales
have different system
• Scotland like North
Europe
• Southern Europe
changing?
Enlargement
• Group of Seven
promises from 1991
• if East Europe adopts
market reforms and
democracy can join
EU
• means CAP must go
• UK likes enlargement
• wider not deeper!
• Is it feasible?
• Where do we stop?
Vladivostok?
• East German lesson.
Costs more than think
• organised crime
• fraud
• 10 new countries?
• Turkey, Cyprus, Malta
Enlargement
• Group of Seven
promises from 1991
• if East Europe adopts
market reforms and
democracy can join
EU
• means CAP must go
• UK likes enlargement
• wider not deeper!
• Is it feasible?
• Where do we stop?
Vladivostok?
• East German lesson.
Costs more than think
• organised crime
• fraud
• 10 new countries?
• Turkey, Cyprus, Malta
On to Vladivostok!