Paper Details

Name: Balasubramanya P. S., K. Shivarama Karantha
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Volume No: 13, Issue No: 1, Year: 2026
Page Number: 254-258
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20389878

This paper mainly explains Tony Blair’s Labour Government’s policies towards the
European Union during his second term of the premiership. After the UK’s membership in the EU in 1973, it had not actively engaged in the European Union’s policies and
implementation process. From 1973 to 1996, the successive UK Prime Ministers followed a negative and sceptical attitude towards various EU policy initiatives, and none of the UK Prime Ministers showed any special interest in improving their relations with the EU. In this context, the study of Tony Blair’s second term of premiership plays an important role in understanding UK-EU relations from 2001 to 2005. Tony Blair’s Labour government made a huge difference in the EU-UK relationship. His Labour government, from the very beginning, made clear to the UK citizens that their government would take a more proactive and constructive role in the EU policy-making and various developmental programmes. In this context, the study of Tony Blair’s Labour government’s policies and perspectives towards the European Union gives a better understanding of the United Kingdom and the European Union’s relations, policies and perspectives during that period.