Formation 1949 Headquarters London Official language English | Type Pressure group Location United Kingdom President Paddy Ashdown | |
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The European Movement UK is an independent pressure group in the United Kingdom which campaigns in support of greater European integration and for reform of the European Union. It is part of the European Movement International which pushes for a "democratic, federal, enlarged European Union".
The current President of the European Movement UK is Paddy Ashdown and the current chairman (since December 2016) is Stephen Dorrell. The organisation promotes a "more democratic, effective and accountable" EU.
History
The origins of the European Movement lie in the aftermath of the Second World War. More than eight hundred delegates from across Europe gathered in The Hague in May 1948, under the chairmanship of Sir Winston Churchill, to create a new international movement to promote European unity and prevent further wars between its members. The British section of the European Movement was founded a year later.
During the UK's European Communities membership referendum in 1975, the organisation was involved within the 'Yes' campaign.
Other campaigns since then have included pressing for direct elections to the European Parliament in the 1970s and promoting the benefits of the single market in the run-up to 1992.