EEC and Europe

• why were people opposed to britain joining the EEC

  post-war debts

  focus on the special relationship with the US

  focus on the relationship with the commonwealth
• when did the EEC launch

  1957
• who initially dominated the EEC

  france and west germany
• when was the EFTA launched

  1959
• what was the EFTA

  european free trade agreement
• who were the founding members of the EFTA?

  The founding members of the EFTA were: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. During the 1960s, these countries were often referred to as the "Outer Seven", as opposed to the Inner Six of the then European Economic Community (EEC)
• what is the difference between the EFTA and the EEC?

  The main difference between the early EEC and the EFTA was that the latter did not operate common external customs tariffs unlike the former: each EFTA member was free to establish its individual customs duties against, or its individual free trade agreements with, non-EFTA countries
• when did Macmillan apply to join the EEC

  1961
• why was the application rejected?

  De Gaulle vetoed the application - this was probably due to Suez - though the official cited reason was over concerns of the UK overrepresenting the interests of the USA
• Macmillan faced challenges from within his own party regarding European integration, including opposition from Enoch Powell who believed that joining the Common Market would lead to the loss of sovereignty and economic decline.
• Macmillan also faced pressure from France to join the Common Market due to their shared history and cultural ties. - however this was prior to suez