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Abstract:
The UK Presidency in the second half of 2005 is the sixth UK Presidency.The first three, in 1977, 1981 and 1986, took place when Britain was very
much an ‘awkward partner’ for the Community. By the fourth, in 1992, there was talk of putting Britain ‘at the heart of Europe’, but the Major
Government ended up more distant than ever. The first Presidency to take place under Tony Blair, in 1998, saw the beginning of a new British
attempt to exert leadership. Between 1998 and 2005, the British role in Europe has changed. The UK has notably played a leading role in the
development of a European Security and Defence Policy. Yet the UK remains outside the Eurozone; retains special positions over issues such as
the free movement of persons and some social policies; and is widely seen as not sharing European visions and models, although the differences are often exaggerated and are not limited to the UK.
A clear assessment of the 2005 Presidency can only be given once it is finished, while it should be understood that the impact of any presidency is
limited. The UK seems so far to be rated quite well in terms of its efficiency and fairness in the chair. There have been achievements, notably the
opening of accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia.
However, it is already clear that some of the UK’s priority issues, such as the services directive, cannot be concluded by the end of the year because of the rate of progress through the European Parliament. Sugar reform seems to have run into trouble. Nor was it clear in mid-November whether agreement in the Council over the chemicals regulation (REACH) would be possible. Much will depend on whether agreement can be reached by December over the Financial Perspective for 2007–2013. This is an unfortunate coincidence since Britain has a special interest at stake, the budget rebate, which may be seen to undermine the role of ‘honest broker’ and political leadership which is expected of the Presidency over such
major issues for Europe.
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