Brexit; EU membership; United Kingdom; Withdrawal from the EU; European integration; European disintegration; Article 50 TEU
Abstract :
[en] This interdisciplinary contribution aims to look back at the past and provide some insights from historical sources which may be used today as key comparative tools for the interpretation and analysis of the current situation in the light of the United Kingdom’s future relationship with the European Union. This relationship is a recurring issue in the European integration process, one which has never been satisfactorily resolved. After a short historical overview of British accession to the European Communities, the presentation focuses on the 1975 referendum in order to provide some food for thought ahead of the 2016 referendum on the UK’s EU membership. It argues that, although the 1975 referendum was a product of its time and its circumstances, there is an essential common thread that links the past to the present. The forthcoming referendum is not going to change the ‘British–European pattern’ that has taken shape over the past decades.
Disciplines :
European & international law
Author, co-author :
Muñoz, Susana ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) > Law Research Unit
External co-authors :
no
Language :
English
Title :
Putting the UK’s referendum in context: lessons from the past to shape the future?
Publication date :
11 March 2016
Event name :
The Future of a United Kingdom in the European Union
Event organizer :
Robert Schuman Institute of European Affairs, University of Luxembourg
