1. Brexit in progress

2. Britain and Europe from 16th to 19th centuries : maintaining the balance of power
16th and 17th centuries : alliances with Portugal, the Ottoman Empire and the Netherlands.
19th century:
The Concert of Europe : the UK, Austria, Prussia, Russia (after fall of Napoleon until WWI)
1818 : British isolation
: British isolation
1898 : Joseph Chamberlain « We have no allies. I fear we have no friends ».

3. 1920s and 1930s: appeasement policy
Failure of the League of nations in the 1920s
Appeasement policy: Neville Chamberlain
Avoid wars to preserve free trade and the Empire

4. Winston Churchill A founder of Europe?
The Zurich speech 19 September 1946
May 1947 London’s Albert Hall
May 1948 : the Hague Congress. Cuts in tariffs, free movement of people, ideas and property, a common defence, a European assembly, a Charter of fundamental rights
Yet not for Britain.

5. Timeline and some main issues
23rd June 2016: referendum. 48% remain. 52% leave.
29th March 2017: article 50 triggered.
2 years’ negotiations. A transitional period until 31st December 2020.
Future relationship with the EU: a soft or hard BREXIT?
Chequers proposal (12 July 2018)
The case of Northern Ireland. The backstop plan.

6. 1904-1914 : Entente and yet no alliance

7. II Background information since 1973
Introduction
1957 : EFTA
1960s : conversion to Europe.
1973 : Britain joined the EEC
1975 : referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EEC. 67.2% yes/32.8% no.

8. 1. Britain and the Euro 1.1 The trauma of black Wednesday
1979 : EMS (European Monetary System)
1990 : joined the ERM (Exchange Rate Mechanism)
16 September 1992 : Black Wednesday
1992 : left the ERM

9. 1.2 The Maastricht Treaty 1991 : John Major signed the Treaty.
The EU : a single market with free movement of goods and capital from January 1993
Opt-out from the social and monetary chapter

10. 1.3 Tony Blair’s 5 economic tests 1997-2003
ANTI : exchange rate and macro-economic adjustment
ANTI : labour market flexibility
PRO : business sectors (FDI and exports)
NEUTRAL : financial services
ANTI : housing and consumption

11. 1.4 The euro crisis
2010 bail-outs to Portugal, Ireland, Greece (PIIGS)
2011 : Britain exempted from bail-outs

12. 2. Britain and euroscepticism 2.1 Margaret Thatcher
Community Budget : “I cannot play Sister Bountiful to the Community”
1984 Fontainebleau summit
Common Agricultural Policy
YET : 1986 : Single European Act.
1988 Bruges Speech.

13. 2.2 David Cameron and the Brexit referendum
January 2013 : Bloomberg speech « A new settlement for Europe »
20 February 2016 : new deal with European leaders
Immigration : limitation of access to social benefits for new entrants (over 4 years)
Euro bail-outs : exemption.

14. Child benefits : paid at local rates.
Red card for national parliaments : 55% of national parliaments/12 weeks.
Ever-closer union : exemption.
Primacy of English law in case of terrorism (deportation)