crisis
De Gaulle Vetoes UK Membership for the First Time
French President Charles de Gaulle delivered a press conference in Paris vetoing Britain's first application to join the EEC, which had been submitted in 1961. De Gaulle cited Britain's 'deep-seated hostility' to the European project and its 'special relationship' with the United States as incompatible with Community membership. The veto shocked other member states and delayed enlargement by a decade.
Sources
- T2 CVCE — De Gaulle press conference (1963) Major western
- T2 BBC — UK and Europe: a troubled relationship Major western