State vs Regional Identity

Supra Purple Tk Society, The European Union stands out as a political economic phenomenon and a historic testimony to the fact that regional integration, despite challenges and resistance from within, can transform from a dream to a reality. Originally envisioned in 1948, the process of gradual integration began in 1952. As Herbert Biggs explains, the Treaty of Paris was proposed and passed at a time when Europe, politically and economically weakened by World War II, realized that it would not be able to restore its previous political and economic influence were it not to enter into closer regional economic cooperation and plan for political and economic integration. At this stage in history, and despite realization of the importance of integration, only six European countries, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris (Biggs, 110-111). Great Britain, possibly encouraged by the fact that it was not part of continental Europe, refrained from signing this treaty.
The second major stage in the formation of the EU, came in Supra Purple Tk Society the form of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and the subsequent creation of the European Economic Community. This treaty, as Gordon Weil explains, established the principles, laws Supra Purple Tk Society and institutions for much closer economic cooperation, leading towards integration, between the member states. Again Britain refused to sign the treaty and rejected the prospect of European integration. As Loukas Tsoukalis explains, Britain\'s resistance, as was the case with other European countries, was based on the simple fact that it feared that it would loose its Supra Purple Tk Society national identity and that the British state would loose its sovereignty over the country. Quite simply stated, resistance to integration was based on the fear of the consequences of integration to national identity and sovereignty (439-441). However, by 1973 and following the economic success and growth of the European Economic Community, Britain realized the benefits of membership and became a full-member of the ECC (437-438).