Britain’s membership of the European Union has been a controversial point of debate since entry in 1973. The debate has been heightened in recent years by the introduction of firstly the Euro, and then the proposed EU constitution. These two issues along with other political considerations, have marked a turning point for the Union and the coming years will go a long way to dictating the eventual form that the group takes. With this in mind, this driver will explore the various complexities and trends associated with the Union rather than attempting to analyse the pros and cons of the relationship.

The proposed constitution outlined the future direction of the Union, its internal processes, the groups founding principles and the structure its institutions would take. The constitution has now been abandoned in its initial form following damaging rejections from the French and Dutch public in respective referenda. Despite this set back the EU have proposed a revised EU Treaty. This ‘Reform Treaty’ is designed to signal the beginning of a ‘period of reflection’ on the future of the Union and its aim to create a more acceptable formal constitution. In the UK, Gordon Brown is facing intense pressure from media outlets, Trade Unions and a cross-party panel of MPs to hold a public referendum on whether the UK should ratify this Treaty even in its diluted form. This public pressure has been compounded by the perceived ‘flood’ of migrant workers coming from the new EU member states. There is a public perception that migration may be adversely affecting their wages and employment prospects, as well as overloading public services, although, recent research by both the Bank of England and the TUC have cast doubts on these claims.

The EU has also come under criticism for recent high spend European collaborations. Projects such as the Airbus A380, Galileo (a European rival to the US GPS) and Quaero (a European search engine designed to compete with Google) have cost the public billions of euros. Whilst these projects are meant to demonstrate the ability of member states to work together, a number of high profile blunders have led to a crisis in confidence in publicly funded technology projects.

Away from the politics of the situation, the economic case for a common currency remains open to debate. Some commentators argue that the EU is too large an area to benefit from the euro and that the bureaucracy associated with the EU is highly restrictive to UK business, whilst others believe that a failure to join forces will result in a lack of competitiveness against some of the larger economic superpowers. These are just two of the many arguments made both for and against the euro. However, some of the fears over the strength of the currency have been allayed by its recent strong performance against the flagging US Dollar.

There has also been a degree of controversy surrounding the expansion of the EU. As mentioned previously there has been some reluctance to completely open up their borders to migrant labour. The other contentious issue has been the potential accession of Turkey as a full member. Concerns have been raised over the country’s human rights record and this has cast a shadow over their candidacy. Public opinion in both France and Germany is heavily against their application. Beyond the political constraints, the issue of Turkey’s membership can also be seen as a cultural benchmark for the Union. If the application were successful, they would become the first predominantly Muslim country to join the Union (98% of the population are Sunni Muslims). It has been suggested that this could test the ability of the Union to make decisions that suit the political and economic infrastructure of all members, but also fit with all country’s religious and social views.

The Union has also recently had to deal with problems in another aspiring member state. The ‘Orange Revolution’ which took place in the Ukraine following the now overturned election result, reflected the split in the country between those loyal to the Russia in the east, and those wishing to foster a closer relationship with the EU in the west. Although the pro-EU side eventually won, the issue remains hotly contested and has strained EU-Russia relationships in recent years, threatening the security of the EU gas supply.

Fact File

- In 2006 Russia restricted the supply of gas to Europe following their perceived interference in a dispute between Ukraine and the Russian gas company Gazprom.
- 80% of all gas supplied to Europe comes through pipelines located in Ukraine.
- Turkey and Croatia have begun accession talks. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are likely to follow soon
- From 2007, the EU structural funding received by the North East, is likely to be significantly reduced to reflect the enlarged size of the EU.
- The EU now has a larger population than both Japan and the US. The North East has to make the most of being part of such a large trading block.
- Around 42% of UK residents oppose (or see little value in) the UK’s membership in the European Union.
- 39% of UK residents would vote to leave the EU, 51% would vote to remain a member.
- 81% of UK citizens stated that the decision on the EU Constitutional Treaty should be decided by referendum rather than by Parliament.
- 44% of people agree in principal with the EU constitution, 46% disagree with the concept.
- If a referendum were held, 32% would vote for, 38% would vote against, 15% would not vote and another 15% would be undecided.
- 64% believe that Gordon Brown is going back on an election promise by suggesting that a referendum should not take place.
- 66% of people oppose the switch from traditional units of measurement to metric units.
- Despite operating an open door policy for the 2004 EU expansion, the government has decided to impose limits on the level of unskilled workers allowed into the country. This has been set at 20,000 workers.
- Government estimates suggested around 52,000 migrants from the new A8 countries (the 8 EU member states who joined in 2004) would enter in 2005. Reports suggest that the actual number was closer to 80,000.