Paper Titles & Abstracts

With the United Kingdom's continued membership of the EU being increasingly questioned and the UKgovernment committed to 're-negotiate' the terms of membership, consideration is being given to what formsalternatives to [full] membership may take. While much current discussion focuses on the advantages anddisadvantages of particular existing arrangements (e.g. European Economic Area, Swiss bilateralism), this paperexamines the broader principles and practices that have to date underpinned - and undermined - EU's attemptsto develop alternatives to [full] EU membership. Drawing on an analysis of the evolution of association as analternative to membership, the paper assesses the principled, practical and political limitations the EU faces -and imposes on itself - in offering an acceptable balance of rights and obligations to states not wishing toassume the mantle of full membership. In its assessment the paper considers various proposed models ofaffiliate and associate membership. It also situates consideration of the UK case in the broader context of theEU's relations with other European non-member states for which membership may not be achievable and forwhich alternatives to membership (e.g. a form of privileged partnership) have been proposed. In doing so, thepaper reflects on the precedent-setting consequences of any arrangement that the EU might reach with any statere-negotiating membership or withdrawing.