Conservative Europe Group
| Conservative Group for Europe | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
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| President | Kenneth Clarke |
| Chairperson | Neil Carmichael |
| Founded | 1969 |
| European affiliation |
European People's Party Group Conservative MEP's |
| Website | |
| Website | |
The Conservative Group for Europe (CGE), sometimes called the Conservative Europe Group (CEG) exists to promote Britain's vigorous and purposeful relationship with the European Union, advancing national interests through influence, collaboration and compromise by engaging in the shared challenges all European countries face. The organisation supports a Europe built on Conservative principles of an open market, individual and business opportunity and a responsible engagement in world affairs. CEG asserts that if a Conservative government is to have any chance of effectively tackling trans-national challenges including climate change, energy supplies, transport infrastructure, population shifts, common borders and free movement within, trans-border crime, terrorism, economic and financial turbulence, open markets and competition policy and security, then open, flexible working alliances with mainstream European colleagues are the only solution.
The Rt. Hon. Neil Carmichael MP is the current Chairman, and The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke MP is the President.
Founded to promote the UK's entry to the European Economic Community (now the European Union), CEG was launched in May 1967 as the European Forum, with David Baker as the founding chairman. With the resignation from the French presidency of Charles De Gaulle, who had been the major opponent of UK entry into the European Community, the European Forum was supported by Conservative MPs who favoured British membership. As negotiations with the EC got fully under way, the Forum changed its name to the more self-explanatory title of the Conservative Group for Europe (CGE).
CGE provided the infrastructure for the operation run by Norman St John-Stevas MP to muster support among Conservative MPs, resulting eventually in the United Kingdom's entry to the European Community on 1 January 1973. CGE was very active in the 1975 European Referendum campaign, and many MPs were members. An early Chairman was Sir James Spicer, former MP and MEP.
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