1973 enlargement of the European Communities

Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom to the European Communities thumb|right|#003399 EC members in 1973#ffcc00 New EC members admitted in 1973 The 1973 enlargement of the European Communities was the first enlargement of the European Communities (EC), now the European Union (EU). Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK) acceded to the EC on 1 January 1973. Gibraltar and Greenland also joined the EC as part of the United Kingdom and Denmark respectively, but the Danish Faroe Islands, the other British Overseas Territories and the Crown dependencies of the United Kingdom did not join the EC. Ireland and Denmark both held referendums in 1972 in May and October respectively, and the United Kingdom held a referendum in 1975, on membership of the EC, all of which approved membership of the EC. Norway planned to accede, but this was rejected in a referendum held in September 1972. In 1992 Norway again applied to join, but voters again rejected the proposal in a 1994 referendum. Greenland later withdrew from the EC on 1 January 1985 after a referendum in 1982. This was followed by the United Kingdom holding a referendum in 2016 on membership which resulted in the United Kingdom voting to leave the EU. Background The United Kingdom was still recovering from the economic cost of the Second World War. Ireland, while an independent state, was economically dependent on the UK, which accounted for nearly 75% of Ireland's exports, as codified in the Anglo-Irish Free trade agreement of 1966.http://www.histoire-pour-tous.fr/dossiers/90-histoire-de-la-construction-europeenne/1422-1er-elargissement-de-la-cee-1er-janvier-1973.html 1er élargissement de la CEE (1er Janvier 1973) 4 December 2019 In 1960 the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was established and was formed by Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. These countries were often referred to as the Outer Seven, as opposed to the Inner Six of the founding members of the European Community (EC).Finland: Now, the Seven and a Half TIME 7 April 1961 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874317,00.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20111104144427/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874317,00.htm dead November 4, 2011 18 July 2009 The EFTA was founded by a convention known as the Stockholm Convention in 1960, with the aim of liberalisation of trade in goods amongst its member states. On 31 July 1961 the United Kingdom,http://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/2002/9/3/a5c95873-aca0-4e9f-be93-53a36918041d/publishable_en.pdf Address given by Harold Macmillan on the United Kingdom's application for membership to the EC 31 July 1961 Le Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe Irelandhttp://ec.europa.eu/ireland/ireland_in_the_eu/index1_en.htm Ireland in the EU – Joining the European Community European Union and Denmarkhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3583801.stm A timeline of the EU BBC News 12 March 2007 applied to join the EC. In 1963, after negotiations,http://www.voxeu.org/article/britain-s-eu-membership-new-insight-economic-history Britain's EU membership: New insight from economic history VOX, CEPR’s Policy Portal 2016-05-08 2020-12-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20201227104447/https://voxeu.org/article/britain-s-eu-membership-new-insight-economic-history dead France vetoed the United Kingdom's application because of the aversion of Charles de Gaulle to the UK, which he considered a "trojan horse" for the United States. De Gaulle resigned the French presidency in 1969.http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/depuis-1958/decisions-par-date/1969/declaration-de-vacance-1969/decision-declaration-de-vacance-1969-du-28-avril-1969.7153.html https://web.archive.org/web/20081204160506/http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/les-decisions/depuis-1958/decisions-par-date/1969/declaration-de-vacance-1969/decision-declaration-de-vacance-1969-du-28-avril-1969.7153.html 4 December 2008 Déclaration du Conseil constitutionnel suite à la démission du Général de Gaulle, Président de la République 1969 Constitutional Council of FrancePress Release re Resignation Fondation Charles de Gaulle 2008 http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/article.php3?id_article=532 2016-05-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20081118225651/http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/article.php3?id_article=532 2008-11-18 dead In the 1970s, the EFTA states concluded free trade agreements with the EC.The European Free Trade Association European Free Trade Association http://www.efta.int/about-efta/european-free-trade-association 8 May 2016 Impact May 2020 Member countries Capital Population Area (km2) GDP (billion US$) GDP per capita (US$) Languages Copenhagen 5,021,861 2,209,180 70.032 $59,928 Danish Dublin 3,073,200 70,273 21.103 $39,638 English, Irish London 56,210,000 244,820 675.941 $36,728 English Accession countries 64,305,061 2,524,273 767.076 11,929 3 Existing members (1973) 192,457,106 1,299,536 2,381,396 12,374 4 EC9 (1973) 256,762,167 (+33.41%) 3,465,633 (+266.68%) 3,148.472 (+32.21%) 12,262 (−0.91%) 7 See also Denmark and the euro United Kingdom and the euro 1981 enlargement of the European Communities 1986 enlargement of the European Communities 1995 enlargement of the European Union 2004 enlargement of the European Union 2007 enlargement of the European Union 2013 enlargement of the European Union References collapsed Category:1973 in Europe Category:History of the European Union Category:January 1973 in Europe Category:1973 in international relations Category:Denmark and the European Union Category:Ireland and the European Union Category:United Kingdom–European Union relations