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1957
France, West Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the treaty of Rome, which established the EEC. These nations would be less likely to go to war together. -
1963 - Charles de Gaulle
When the United Kingdom first applied for membership in the EEC in 1963, France’s President Charles de Gaulle vetoed its application. "He had a lot of experience of the British and he always thought that they'd be on the Americans' side… so I don't think he believed that they'd play the game of Europe," -
1973 - backing out 2 years later
The UK finally made it into the club in 1973, but just two years later was on the verge of backing out again. -
1975 - "Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community?"
In 1975, the nation held a referendum on the question: “Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?” The 67 percent “Yes” vote included most of the UK’s 68 administrative counties, regions and Northern Ireland, while only Shetland and Western Isles voted “No.” -
1984 - the EEC and the UK exploded
The Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher talked tough in the order to reduce British payments to the EEC budget, and then the tensions between the EEC and UK exploded. Though at the time the UK was the third-poorest nation in the Community, it was paying a lot more into the budget than other nations due to its relative lack of farms. -
1993 - The Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty (took effect in 1993) created the Brussels-based European Union, of . which the EEC, renamed simply the European Community (EC) was the main component. The EU was designed til integrate EU's nations politically and economically. -
1997
Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, was strongly pro-European Union, and worked to rebuild ties with the rest of Europe while in office. The general EU ban was lifted in 1999, after tough restrictions were imposed on beef exports, but France kept its own ban in place for years after that. -
2000
Europe and the UK didn't just battle over beef. In 2000, after a 27-year-long battle and a victorious verdict from the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, British chocolate could finally be sold in the rest of Europe. Purists in France, Belgium, Spain and Italy, among other nations, had argued that only cocoa butter, and not vegetable oil, should be used when making chocolate. -
2007
After plans for an official EU constitution collapsed, the member nations finished negotiating the controversial Lisbon Treaty, which gave Brussels broader powers. Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown famously missen a televised ceremony, in which the leaders of the 26 other member nations signed the treaty.
He later signed it, bus was criticized for failing to defend a treaty he had helped to negotiate. -
2011-2013
In the interests of protecting Britain's financial sector, David Cameron became the first UK prime minister to veto a EU treaty in 2011. In early 2013, he gave a much-anticipated speech in which he outlines the challenges facing Europe and promised to renegotiate membership in the Eu if his Conservative Party won a majority in the next general election. -
2015 - winning reelection
After winning reelection in May 2015, David Cameron went to work renegotiating the UK-EU relationship, including changes in migrant welfare payments, financial safeguards and easier ways for Britain to block Eu regulations. -
2016
In February 2016, he announced the results of those negotiations, and set June 23 as the date of the promised referendum. Turnout for the referendum was 71.8 percent, with more than 30 million people voting. The referendum passed by a slim 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent margin, but there were stark differences across the UK England and Wales, however, voted in favor of Brexit. -
2016 - Theresa May
Theresa May, who had assumed office following David Cameron’s resignation, announced her intention to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, formally giving notice of Britain’s intent to leave the EU. -
2017
, who had assumed office following David Cameron’s resignation, announced her intention to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, formally giving notice of Britain’s intent to leave the EU. -
2019
On March 30, 2019, Parliament rejected May's EU withdrawal agreement. -
2019 - the UK leaves the EU
The European Council se a new deadline Deadline. The UK wil exit the EU on Halloween. However, we may leave the EU before the 31 Oct 2019. if the withdrawal agreement is ratified prior to this date. -
2020
Transitional period to end on or before this date but may be extended (NB the UK Government refers to this as the implementation period) -
2021
New trade deals with other countries can enter into force after the end of the transitional period -
2021
Deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme -
2021
The Government holds that all temporary arrangements that have been in place, will cease to have effect by this date because the UK will have reached altenative arrangements.
