Treaty of Accession 1972
 Treaty of Accession 1972
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Countries involved in the treaty, with newly joining countries in yellow, countries who failed to join in red, and existing EC countries in blue.
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| Signed | 22 January 1972 |
| Location | Brussels |
| Effective | 1 January 1973 |
| Condition | ratification by Denmark, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom and all 6 Member States of the European Union |
| Signatories |
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| Ratifiers |
9 / 10
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| Depositary | Government of the Italian Republic |
| Languages | All 4 official Languages of the European Union, Danish, English, Irish and Norwegian |
The Treaty of Accession 1972 was the international agreement which provided for the accession of Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom to the European Communities. Norway did not ratify the treaty after it was rejected in a referendum held in September 1972. The treaty was ratified by the Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom who became EC member states on 1 January 1973 when the treaty entered into force. The treaty remains an integral part of the constitutional basis of the European Union.
The full official name of the treaty is:
Treaty between the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Italian Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Member States of the European Communities) the Kingdom of Denmark, Ireland, the Kingdom of Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the accession of the Kingdom of Denmark, Ireland, the Kingdom of Norway and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the European Economic Community and to the European Atomic Energy Community.
The four countries were already economically linked within the European Free Trade Area. The UK's role in international affairs had weakened, unlike the EC member countries, which in the 1960s were strongly recovering from the Second World War; Ireland remained economically dependent on the UK, which represents nearly 75% of its exports and sought to reduce this dependence.
To join the EC, countries had to meet two criteria: belonging to the European continent and obtain agreement from all member countries. On 31 July 1961 the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark applied to join the EC. In 1963, after lengthy negotiations, France vetoed Britain's application because of the aversion of Charles de Gaulle to the UK, which he considered a "Trojan Horse" for the United States. De Gaulle famously uttered the single word 'non' into the television cameras at the critical moment, a statement used to sum up French opposition towards Britain for many years afterwards. UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan said afterwards that he always believed that de Gaulle would prevent Britain joining, but thought he would do it quietly, behind the scenes. He later complained privately that "all our plans are in tatters".
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