Britain’s entry into the European Community. Report on the negotiations of 1970-1972.

Book abstract:

This is a detailed account of the process leading up to the UK's entry into the European Community in 1973. The leader of the British Negotiating team, Sir Con O'Neill, originally produced this previously unpublished report for limited circulation in Whitehall. The report is not just an account of the process but also provides comment and analysis on the development of negotiations. This includes analysis of the level of success of the negotiations and the significance of the negotiations themselves in achieving the eventual outcome. It provides new insight into the achievement of the Brussels and Luxembourg agreements as well as the wider process of multilateral diplomacy.

Four key issues are identified by the author on which the success of the negotiations rested: Commonwealth sugar, New Zealand butter, Community finance and fisheries. These are analysed in detail. The report is split into four parts: Preliminaries, Procedures, Organisation, Objectives and Tactics; The Problems of the Negotiations and how they were solved; Our friends and partners; Reflections on the Negotiations.

The report will complement existing publications on this topic in its level of detail alongside the deeper insight and new information that can be provided by someone personally involved in the negotiations.