Great Britain and European Integration

The UK has had good relations with the rest of Europe since World War II. It became a member of the European Economic Community in 1973. The EEC eventually became the European Union through the Maastricht Treaty of the European Union in 1993. Although the UK does not use the euro and is not a member of the Eurozone, it still plays a leading role in the day to day workings of the EU.

As a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom could adopt the euro as its currency. However, the subject remains politically controversial. Gordon Brown, when Chancellor of the Exchequer, ruled out membership for the foreseeable future, saying that the decision not to join had been right for Britain and for Europe.

The government of former Prime Minister Tony Blair had pledged to hold a public referendum to decide on membership should "five economic tests" be met, to ensure that adoption of the euro would be in the national interest. In addition to these internal criteria, the UK would have to meet the EU's economic convergence criteria (Maastricht criteria), before being allowed to adopt the euro. Currently, the UK's annual government deficit, as a percentage of the GDP, is above the defined threshold. In February 2005, 55% of British citizens were against adopting the currency, with 30% in favour. The idea of replacing the pound with the euro has been controversial with the British public, partly because of its identity as a symbol of British sovereignty and because it would, according to critics, lead to suboptimal interest rates, harming the British economy. In December 2008 the results of a BBC poll of 1000 people suggested that 71% would vote "no", 23% would vote "yes" to joining the European single currency, while 6% said they were unsure. The pound did not join the Second European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) after the euro was created.

2. Answer the questions to the text:

1) When did the UK become a member state of the EU?

2) What is the national currency of the country?

3) Why does the government of Great Britain abstain from joining the eurozone?

4) What measures are taken by the government to ensure that adoption of the euro will be beneficial for the country?

5) What is the British public response to the idea of adopting the new currency?

3. Agree or disagree with the statements.

1) London is the world’s largest financial center with financial services based around three districts.

2) The UK has had an expanding export business in financial service.

3) The City of London is a geographically big city within Greater London.

4) The City is today a major business and financial center.

5) The UK became a member of the European Economic Community in 1983.

6) The UK uses the euro and is a member of the Eurozone.

7) The pound joined the Second European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

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