The European Union and the UK Referendum

Built to make war unlikely

The European Union began as an answer to a specific problem. After two world wars fought largely in Europe, the founding idea was that countries whose economies were tied closely together would find war against each other far harder to contemplate. It started with coal and steel in the early 1950s, became the European Economic Community under the Treaty of Rome in 1957 with six member states, and took its present name under the Maastricht Treaty in the early 1990s. The **UK joined in 1973**. Knowing that it began as a peace project explains a great deal about why it is organised the way it is.

Three aims, and one big idea

Your specification names three aims. The third is the one that turns the other two into daily life.

How the EU developed

Put these stages in the order they happened.

• Six countries pool coal and steel production in the early 1950s
• The Treaty of Rome creates the European Economic Community (1957)
• The United Kingdom joins (1973)
• The Maastricht Treaty creates the European Union (early 1990s)
• The UK holds a referendum on membership (23 June 2016)

What does a single market mean?

Which of these best describes what the single market actually does?

• It lets member states trade with each other as though they were one market, without tariffs or customs barriers, under a common set of rules
• It means every member state uses the same currency
• It means goods are sold at the same price everywhere
• It means member states are governed by a single government

The arguments people made

Your specification asks for arguments **for and against** membership. These are the ones that were actually made, set out as arguments rather than as findings.

Which were arguments FOR membership?

Select the TWO that were argued by people who wanted the UK to remain.

• That trading without tariffs with a large market next door benefits businesses and jobs
• That citizens gain the right to live, work and study across the member states
• That national parliaments should make all their own laws
• That the money paid in contributions should be spent domestically instead

Which are the leave arguments?

A summary of the debate. Tap the TWO points that were made by people arguing to LEAVE.

• People argued that
• tariff-free trade with a large neighbouring market supports jobs
• , that
• laws affecting the country should be made by its own parliament
• , that
• problems crossing borders are easier to solve together
• , and that
• contributions could be spent at home instead

The referendum, and what has changed since

On **23 June 2016** the United Kingdom held a referendum on its membership of the European Union. Across the UK the result was **51.9 per cent to leave and 48.1 per cent to remain**, on a turnout of about 72 per cent. **In Northern Ireland the result was 55.8 per cent remain to 44.2 per cent leave.** **The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020.** Your specification was written before that happened, so a textbook may still describe the UK as a member state. One geographical fact worth knowing: Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with an EU member state, which is why the implications were discussed differently here.

The year of the referendum

In which year did the United Kingdom hold its referendum on membership of the European Union? Give the year only.

The EU in a paragraph

The European Union began as a project to make war in Europe less likely by tying economies together. Its aims include political union, the _____ market and freedom of _____. The UK joined in _____, held a referendum on membership on 23 June _____, and left the European Union in _____.

Writing about a question people disagree on

**"Discuss the arguments for and against the UK's membership of the European Union. (8 marks)"** "Those who argued for membership pointed to tariff-free access to a very large market next door, to the right of citizens to live and work across the member states, and to the greater weight a bloc carries in trade negotiations than any one country acting alone. Those who argued against pointed to the contributions paid, to laws being made at European rather than national level, and to reduced national control over who could come to live and work. Freedom of movement appears on both lists, argued as an opportunity by one side and as a loss of control by the other. The referendum of 23 June 2016 produced a result of 51.9 per cent to leave across the UK, though Northern Ireland voted 55.8 per cent to remain, and the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020." **Notice what the answer does not do.** It does not say which side was right. On a question phrased like this, an answer that argues one side cannot reach the top band however well it is written, because the task is to set out the disagreement accurately.

Attribute, do not assert

Build a sentence that reports an argument properly rather than stating it as fact.

Your textbook is out of date

Your specification and some textbooks were written while the UK was still a member. Work out how to handle that in an exam.

• A revision guide describes the UK as a member state of the EU. What do you do with that?
• A question asks for arguments for and against membership. You have a strong personal view. What should the answer do?
• What is the strongest way to finish an answer on the referendum itself?

Your turn: set out the debate

Explain what the European Union was created to do, and set out the arguments that were made for and against the UK's membership.

• Explain why the EU was founded and name its three aims
• Give two arguments that were made FOR membership
• Give two arguments that were made AGAINST membership
• State the referendum date and result, and say when the UK left, without saying which side was right