European Movement UK
| Formation | 1949 |
|---|---|
| Type | Pressure group |
| Headquarters | Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, England, SW1P 4QP |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
Chair | Stephen Dorrell |
Key people |
Lord Ashdown Lord Hurd Kenneth Clarke Baroness Joyce Quin Richard Corbett (Hon President, Vice-Presidents and Vice Chair) |
| Affiliations | People's Vote |
Staff | 8 |
| Website |
www |
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 Lord Ashdown and the current chairman (since December 2016) is Stephen Dorrell. The organisation promotes a "more democratic, effective and accountable" EU. It opposes Brexit.
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 European countries. 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.
It campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum and continues to oppose Brexit in collaboration with other major pro-European campaign groups such as Open Britain and Britain for Europe.
In February 2018 George Soros's Open Society Foundations donated £500,000 to a number of groups opposing Brexit including £182,000 to European Movement UK.[1] In April the same year the group joined the People's Vote to campaign for a second vote.[2][3]
See also
References
- ↑ Elgot, Jessica (11 February 2018). "George Soros raises donation to anti-Brexit Best for Britain group". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ↑ Porritt, Richard (15 April 2018). "Campaign launched to push for People's Vote". The New European. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ↑ Staff writer (15 April 2018). "Launch of the new national People's Vote campaign". open-britain.co.uk. Open Britain. Retrieved 17 April 2018.