Dealing with Britain
The Six and the First UK Application to the EEC

In this 1997 book, the author examines Britain's first application to join the European Community in 1961.

N. Piers Ludlow (Author)

9780521595360, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 October 1997

300 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.41 kg

'This is a well-written and careful analysis that adds a few twists to an already well-known tale, but which further draws attention to dilemmas that have arisen at each proposed enlargement since 1963.' Derek W. Urwin, History

Britain's 1961 application was the first time that the European Community was obliged to consider a membership application from one of its neighbours. This 1997 book, based on material from the archives, challenges traditional views of the British application and casts light on the way in which the EEC responded to the challenge of enlargement. The author explains the initial inability of de Gaulle to oppose British membership, and draws attention to the hesitant and conditional nature of Britain's application. In combination these two factors ensured that the sixteen months of negotiations, and the balance the Six struck between their conflicting desires to widen and to deepen the Community, became crucial to the outcome of the UK's membership bid. This book provides a detailed analysis of a vital chapter in postwar European history, and offers important insights into differing conceptions of the European Community which persist in contemporary debates.

Introduction
1. From separation to application: May 1950–July 1961
2. Devising the rules of the game: August 1961–December 1961
3. Setting the agenda: October 1961–March 1962
4. Learning to advance - the search for a fruitful method: January 1962–July 1962
5. A race against the clock - the tenth ministerial meeting: July 1962–August 1962
6. Agricultural impasse: September 1962–December 1962
7. The end of a chapter: January 1963
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]