Britain: An official handbook > 1977

3 Membership of the
European
Community
Britain, together with the Irish Republic and Denmark, joined the original six
countries—Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxem¬
bourg and the Netherlands—in the European Community on ist January 1973.
British membership of the Community was endorsed in June 1975 by a
more than two-to-one majority in the first national referendum to be held in
Britain. Some 67-2 per cent of those voting wanted Britain to remain in the
Community, against 32-8 per cent who voted for withdrawal. Almost 65 per
cent of those eligible to vote did so.
The British Government recommended that the British people should sup¬
port continued Community membership in the referendum after the objectives
of its policy of renegotiating some aspects of its membership had been largely
achieved.
Details of Britain’s participation in the development of Community policies
in specific sectors are contained in the appropriate chapters.
Formation of The European Community consists of three communities set up by separate
the European treaties—the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic
Communities Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. These are des¬
cribed briefly in the following pages.
The European The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was established in 1952 by
Coal and Steel bringing together the coal and steel resources of the six member countries, and
Community formed the model for the ‘community’ approach to economic integration. The
ECSC is designed to ensure an orderly supply of coal and steel to member
countries, to promote the rational expansion and modernisation of production
and to provide better conditions of employment and living for the employees
in the industries. The Treaty of Paris, which established the ECSC and was
signed in 1951, provided for the abolition of duties and quantitative restrictions
(or charges having the same effect) on trade in coal and steel between member
States; of discrimination by producers in prices, delivery terms or transport
rates; of any measures which hampered free choice of supplier; and of restric¬
tive practices resulting in the collusive sharing or exploitation of markets.
The treaty also provided for action by the Community over a wide field of
activity in the coal and steel industries, the work of the Community being
financed by a levy on production. The Community provides funds for capital
investment, research and other programmes, as well as loans to help create new
jobs in declining coal areas or where restructuring of thr steel industry is
taking place. Grants to assist redundant coal and steel workers until they find
new employment, or while undergoing retraining, are also made.