Le Royaume-Uni et la construction européenne : 1er janvier 1973-1er janvier 2021. The United Kingdom and European integration

The United Kingdom's relations with the rest of Europe from the time it entered the European Economic Community in 1973 until its final departure from the European Union on the first of January 2021 have been a source of great controversy. They have frequently been seen as troubled, with the United Kingdom as an 'awkward partner' for the other Europeans. The debates around these relations have dominated British politics for more than half a century with widely differing opinions and approaches confronting one another. The Brexit referendum in 2016 saw these debates, in the UK Parliament and throughout the country, reach new levels of intensity. The decision to leave the EU was clear with a 52 percent vote in favour. This did not, however, close the debate, which is still ongoing more than a decade later. Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019, famously said that 'Brexit means Brexit'. What sort of Brexit would emerge, however, was not so easy to determine. Its consequences, for the United Kingdom, the European Union and the relations between them, are still being played out. The future for all of them remains uncertain.

Brexit was the culmination of a strained relationship between the UK and the EEC/EU that went back several decades, and it needs to be understood in its historical context : why the UK chose to remain outside the European integration movement after 1945, why it had so many difficulties adapting to life as part of a European community/union from 1973 onwards, why Euroscepticism gained such a foothold in Britain from the 1980s onwards, and why it finally chose to leave.

This story is a complex one, covering various political, economic, social and cultural dimensions all of which have interacted in different ways. The record of Britain in Europe is far from simple. It includes numerous clashes but also a good deal of cooperation. From the British perspective, there have been successes and setbacks in Europe. At times Britain has successfully imposed its ideas, at others it has been left behind. It has sometimes deliberately chosen to remain on the edge of Europe. However we interpret this relationship, it has undoubtedly played a significant part in shaping the UK today.