Introduction
Following the two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris. The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament.
Britain at first declined to be a member, largely it said because of its dependence on food at privileged prices from Australia and New Zealand. There was also its links with other countries outside of Europe which at that time were still British colonies. When Britain later tried to join, during the 1960s, the application was twice vetoed by the French president, Charles de Gaulle, because he thought that Britain would be a disruptive member.
In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
This paper describes first describes British entry in European Union and its various aspects of relation with EU. It then describes how Britain has been reluctant in...