Has Blair government's constructive European engagement been undermined by the Iraq war?

Marie M.

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Has Blair government's constructive European engagement been undermined by the Iraq war?

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Résumé
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Résumé du document

Britain's relationship with the European Union (EU) has been one of the most divisive issues of British politics over the last 50 years. Yet, the election of the Blair government in May 1997 intended to change this situation and marked a significant shift in the UK's European policies. Unlike his predecessors, such as Margaret Thatcher or John Major, Tony Blair wanted to adopt a more positive approach towards Europe. For him, Britain could not "shape Europe unless [she] matters in Europe." In fact, this constructive Europeanism was the reflective of the trajectory first established in the late 1980s and early 1990s when under Neil Kinnock's leadership, the Labour Party "underwent its transformation into a political party firmly committed to the European integration process." Indeed, the Labour fought the 1983 elections on the basis of a manifesto which condemned the impact of the European Communities within the UK. But this position ended up with a catastrophic defeat for the party. Hence, the Labour Party sought for modernization and shifted from being opposed to being in favour of the European integration.

Sommaire

Introduction.
Taking over the office in 1997.
The first term (1997-2001): A proactive and constructive engagement vis-a-vis Europe.
1. New Labour pledge and the 1997 manifesto.
2. The Amsterdam European Council.
3. EU and Blair.
4. UK's presidency.
5. Blair's first term success in terms of European policies.
The Second Term (2001-2005): Dealing with difficulties outside and inside the UK.
1. Historical and political analysis.
2. Blair's second term and the 9/11 attacks.
3. Blair and the war of Iraq.
4. The differences between the first and the second term.
The Third Term (2005-2007): Blair and the EU in turmoil.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

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Extraits

[...] These difficulties ultimately forced Blair to modify his constructive engagement and to reduce his European objectives. Those difficulties became more important during Blair's second term although they first rose during his first one. For instance, Labour's defeat in the 1999 European elections reflected a change in British public opinion towards Europe. These elections were marked by a low turnout and also the elections of two MEP's from the UKIP party.[18] Moreover, the single currency was one of the major themes during UK's EU Presidency of 1998, but Britain's non participation in the Euro-zone “underlined the government's difficulties in playing a leading role in the The Second Term (2001-2005): Dealing with difficulties outside and inside the UK The changing position of the Blair government vis-à-vis the EU was predictable. [...]

[...] Fella, Stephano,” New Labour-New Europe? Parliamentary Affairs, (Oct. 2006) 621-37. Geddes, Andrew, The European Union and British Politics, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan George, Stephen, An Awkward Partner: Britain in the European Community, Oxford: Oxford University Press Grant, Charles, Can Britain Lead in Europe? London: Centre for European Reform Hughes, Kirsty, and Ed Smith, Labour, Same Old Britain? The Blair Government and European Treaty Reform,”, International Affairs, (Jan. 1998), 93-103. Smith, Julie, Missed Opportunity? [...]

[...] Blair and Brown had different views about the single currency. For Blair, it was a positive step in “ensuring that economic reform takes place and that the kind of EU that the UK favours takes shape.”[30] On the other hand, Brown considered the former condition as the result of the latter. Moreover, the division vis-à-vis the Euro was also very important within the public opinion which saw the single currency as a threat for British sovereignty. Not only has about 60% of the British been constantly opposed to European Monetary Union but opposition to it reflected a serious economic concerns about the impact on taxes and unemployment.”[31]. [...]

[...] New Labour's European Policy 1997- International Affairs, (Jul.2005), 81: 703-21. Tempest, Matthew, “Blair to stand down on June The Guardian, May Tony Blair, Speech at the European Socialist Congress in Malmö, Sweden, 3rd June 1997. Stephano Fella, Labour-New Parliamentary Affairs, (Oct. 2006) p.622. Andrew Geddes, The European Union and British Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), p.90. Julie Smith, Missed Opportunity? New Labour's European Policy 1997- International Affairs, (Jul.2005), 81: p 703. Smith, “Opportunities,” Ibid Simon Bulmer, Lecture Notes 2006-2007. [...]

[...] Furthermore, he sought to combat crime in Europe and called for a better environment protection as well. On this last point, the British government oversaw progress within the EU on implementing the Kyoto agreement on controlling greenhouse gases.[12] But above all, Blair wanted the economic reforms to be cornerstone of Britain's European policy.”[13] Thus the Labour government became a key advocate to ensure that the EU adopts a reform agenda which would create jobs with more flexibility and which would encourage EU's competitiveness.[14] All these economic aims were discussed again in 2000 during the Lisbon Summit in which the Lisbon Strategy was elaborated. [...]

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