Abstract
The UK rebate in the early days was largely devised and negotiated by Margaret Thatcher, yet its acceptance by the EC and the challenges that it posed to the union throughout the coming decades—or so this chapter will argue—have indirectly contributed to political reforms and new treaties that have in fact accelerated European political integration. Similarly, Thatcher’s support for what she thought and advocated should remain a merely economic single market has had unforeseen political ramifications, mainly advancing elements of European federalism that she vehemently opposed. This article maps the role of economic integration in advancing political integration and traces both of their successes back to some at first seemingly unsuccessful visions to formulate a more integrated Europe.
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Notes
- 1.
For a standard study of the election, see Butler (1975).
- 2.
- 3.
Ramiro Troitiño (2014).
- 4.
Review of Kohl’s memoirs, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4403002.stm, By Ray Furlong, November 3rd, 2005.
- 5.
Wall (2008).
- 6.
Ramiro Trotiño (2013).
- 7.
See especially Skogstad and Verdun (2010).
- 8.
A useful introduction is Winn (1997).
- 9.
- 10.
McAllister (2009), pp. 135 ff.
- 11.
- 12.
For Spinelli’s politics and its legacy, see also Glencross and Trechsel (2010).
- 13.
Hill and Smith (2003), pp. 120 ff.
- 14.
The plan is available at http://aei.pitt.edu/1007/1/monetary_delors.pdf, accessed 4 January 2017.
- 15.
Germond (2012).
- 16.
Haywood (2008).
- 17.
Cf. the argument presented in Dyson and Featherstone (1999).
- 18.
Maynard (1988).
- 19.
Salmon (1997), pp. 190 ff.
- 20.
An example is the conclusion of the European Commission that Estonia granted inappropriate state aid to its national air carrier, Estonian Air, and the subsequent order to repay the state aid, summarised in the EC statement: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6023_en.htm.
- 21.
Barnard and Scott (2002).
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Keedus, L., Kerikmäe, T., Chochia, A., Ramiro Troitiño, D. (2018). The British Rebate and the Single European Act: Political Ramifications of an Economic Reform. In: Ramiro Troitiño, D., Kerikmäe, T., Chochia, A. (eds) Brexit. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73414-9_8
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