Britain and Europe: Less of the Poison?

Abstract

For once, it is no exaggeration to say that a particular year was a momentous one in the history of the European Union. In the early summer of 2005, referendums in France and the Netherlands wrecked the proposed Constitutional Treaty, shattering the dreams of those who saw it as another step on the road to fullblown federalism. In the autumn, and after some shenanigans, Turkey and Croatia were allowed to begin negotiations to join the EU, opening up the possibility not just of a move into Islamic Asia but of bringing the Balkans in from the cold. And as winter began, so too did the endgame in negotiations over the EU’s post-enlargement financial framework.