ABSTRACT
J Understand the reasons for the development of a single Europe J Understand the background to the Treaties and the idea of the Community J Understand the main aims and objectives of the Treaties J Understand the concept of supranationalism J Understand how the Treaties have developed through subsequent Treaties J Understand the principles and consequences of enlargement of territory and scope J Understand the significance of the EU Constitution and the Reform Treaty J Analyse the development of the EU J Analyse the consequences of enlargement
1.1.1 The background to the idea of a single Europe One problem that appears to confront students of EU law is an apparent assumption in the United Kingdom that Europe is something foreign, that it refers to a place and to people across the English Channel that have nothing to do with the United Kingdom. This is, of course, not the truth, since the United Kingdom has been a member of the European Community (more recently the European Union) since signing the Treaties and ratifying membership in the European Communities Act 1972. The United Kingdom has been a member of the European Community since 1 January 1973. It has remained so after a majority vote for membership in a popular referendum in 1975 in which there was freedom for MPs of whatever party to support the campaign to deliver a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ vote according to the way that their consciences and their commitment led them. Nevertheless, Euro-scepticism is not uncommon within the country and it would not be unreasonable to suggest that this, in part at least, follows the encouragement of certain elements of the media. This Euro-scepticism seems to be founded in two critical misconceptions about the nature
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and the role of the Community (now the Union following the Treaty on European Union signed at Maastricht in 1992):
J That the idea of European unity is a new and modern political concept – in fact it is anything but. The idea is certainly as old as Europe itself and has been put into place before but in different political form.
