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Britain's influence in the EU

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Anand Menon  and
John-Paul Salter
John-Paul Salter*
Affiliation:
King's College, London
*
E-mail: anand.menon@kcl.ac.uk or john-paul.salter@kcl.ac.uk
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Abstract

How much influence does the UK have in Europe? How has this changed? We argue that the UK has tended to view its relationship with the EU in transactional terms, and that this has led to a dominant understanding framed in terms of ‘costs’ and ‘benefits.’ However, thinking more broadly gives a more nuanced picture of British influence. Thus, we approach this question from two directions: examining the historical record of the UK's role in the development of the EU and the single market; and looking at the ways in which British politicians and officials exert influence in the current political structure. We argue that although the UK has generally had a good track record of success, this has often been threatened by domestic political difficulties – as the current referendum debate shows.

Keywords

BrexitUK–EU relationsEuropean institutionsSingle MarketBritish influenceF4P16O52
Type
Research Articles
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 236 , May 2016 , pp. 7 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

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