British Values and Principles as Part of the European Identity through the Council of Europe

  • Maria Mut Bosque International University of Catalonia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-02-2019pp309-332
Keywords: british values, european identity, council of europe, federalism, intergovernmentalism

Abstract

The decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union has raised considerable criticism by those who consider the United Kingdom to be Eurosceptic. However, this paper argues that, particularly after the Second World War, the United Kingdom was and continues to be deeply committed to the unity of Europe and its institutionalisation. The United Kingdom has always supported an institutional model of an intergovernmental nature, respectful of the national sovereignty of the states and in accordance with the institutional framework of the international community. This model was the one that thrived in the Hague Congress and later was set down in the Council of Europe. In addition to the institutional model, the United Kingdom inspired and promoted the adoption of British principles and values, intensely defended in the Second World War, which today form part of the European identity, such as parliamentarism, democracy or respect for human rights. It also argues that Europe is much more than the European Union and other organisations, such as the Council of Europe, carry out an extraordinary task when it comes to promoting, consolidating and implementing the so-called European values and principles. In this sense, all models for a united Europe are equally valid. Therefore, not only those who defend the federalist model must be considered pro-European, but also those who defend an intergovernmental model need to be seen as pro-European.

Received: 02 July 2018
Accepted: 14 September 2018
Published online: 27 February 2019

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Author Biography

Maria Mut Bosque, International University of Catalonia
Maria Mut Bosque is Lecturer in International and European Law at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (Barcelona) and international relations coordinator of the Faculty of Law. She has university degrees in Law and Political Science, as well a MA in International Studies and post-graduate degrees in European Law and Public Law and Political Science. She has been the Deputy Dean of Post-graduate Studies and International Relations of the Law Faculty from 2015 to 2017. She holds a European PhD. in legal sciences. Her thesis as well as her research activity is focused on the so-called Commonwealth universe, and the role of the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth and the European Union. She has published several papers in prestigious journals, such as the Commonwealth and Comparative Politics Journal or the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs. Since 2009, she is Research Fellow of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the University of London. In 2017, she was awarded a grant by the University of Warwick to research on the Brexit consequences for the British overseas territories, particularly for Gibraltar.
Published
2019-02-27
How to Cite
Mut Bosque, Maria. 2019. “British Values and Principles As Part of the European Identity through the Council of Europe”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 02 (February), 309-32. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-02-2019pp309-332.
Issue
No. 02 (2019): SPECIAL ISSUE. European identity: roots and scope
Section
Monographic Articles. Scope of European identity. PART 3: «European identity: international projection»

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