Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Economic Community

The Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Economic Community took effect on 1 January 1973, after the ratification of the treaty which was signed in Brussels on 22 January 1972 by the then Prime Minister Edward Heath who had pursued the UK's application to the EEC since the late 1950s. Denmark and Ireland also joined as part of the same expansion but Norway, who had signed the same treaty, declined to ratify it and so it was amended to exclude them.^[1]

The UK had first applied to join back in 1961 but this was vetoed by French President Charles de Gaulle. The UK's negotiation team in 1970–72 included Con O'Neill and David Hannay.^[2]

References

1. The European Union Encyclopedia and Directory, Psychology Press, 1999, p. 388, ISBN 9781857430561
2. O'Neill, Con; Hannay, David (2000), Britain's Entry Into the European Community, Psychology Press, ISBN 9780714651170, ISSN 1471-2083