Sovereignty- european integration
After World War II, Winston Churchill called for an European integration, with cooperation between France and Germany. For Britain, there was no place in this structure, as Britain was not only a country but a world power like the USA and the USSR at that time.
Sixty years later, the British Empire was dismantled and the Commonwealth lost its influence. Today, the British do not feel European; they remain attached to their national sovereignty, which is defined as "the authority of a state to govern itself", according to the Oxford dictionary. The consequence is that European integration is questioned. This includes political, legal, economic, social and cultural integration of states. The European continental countries preferred an integration system which involved a loss of sovereignty in fields which would be superseded by supranational institutions. The UK has to accept a common identity for European countries and on the other hand, European countries have to understand the UK's exceptional political position.
The question in the case of the UK is whether to combine its integration and sovereignty? Is UK going to be a part of the European Union one day? To analyze this issue, I propose a plan in two parts. First, I will explain the inevitable loss of sovereignty resulting from European integration and secondly, I will describe the British attitude.
[...] First, I will explain the inevitable loss of sovereignty resulting from European integration and secondly, I will describe the British exception. PLAN: I EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND UK'S SOVEREIGNTY After the war, the UK was conscious being a survivor facing to giants: the USA and USSR. Britain still wanted to appear as a world power, with its privileged role based on its position in the centre of the Commonwealth, and with her Empire covering one third of the globe. Unfortunately, it had been weakened by the war. [...]
[...] Is European integration a threat to UK sovereignty or rather to UK's exceptional (political, legal, cultural) position? INTRODUCTION: After World War II, Churchill called for a United States of Europe, with cooperation between France and Germany. For Britain there was no place in this structure, as Britain was not only a country but a world power like USA and USSR at that time. Sixty years later, the British Empire has been dismantled and the Commonwealth has lost its influence. Today, the British do not feel European; they remain attached to their national sovereignty, which is defined as authority of a state to govern itself “according to the Oxford dictionaries. [...]
[...] Therefore, the English don't feel really part of the European culture although geographically, the European continent is closer than America or Australia. This identity is the result of history. Britain was a world power, rich and victorious. CONCLUSION: As a conclusion, the question of sovereignty has always been an important factor in the political disputes within Britain about the desirability of joining the European communities. Britain has always refused to fully join the club because it fears losing sovereignty and its world influence with the Commonwealth and the USA, the UK came to realize that EU membership was inevitable if the UK was to preserve a role for itself. [...]
[...] But, according to the clause 18, EU law only had effect in the UK through an act of parliament. But this concept can be questioned. After the Matthews's judgment, on the 18th of February 1999, European countries have an obligation to respect the European court of human rights. The United Kingdom freely agreed to the treaty. The consequence is that their sovereignty decreases because of European decisions. II UK'S EXCEPTIONAL POSITION There are a lot of differences between the UK and continental Europe. The existence of a common identity is hardly there. [...]
[...] This show the special schemes which are given to the UK, on economic, politic or legal levels. One of the most blatant examples is the refusal to join the single currency. The UK national economy is different compared to that of other European countries. The cost of his refusal is higher than membership. Most European countries operate under the Napoleonic Code, while the British justice is based on a different system called Common Law. This difference is problematic because UK consequently rejects European justice. [...]
Bibliographie, normes APA
Citez le doc consultéLecture en ligne
et sans publicité !Contenu vérifié
par notre comité de lecture
