Spotlight: To be or not to be in EU, question for Britain

To be or not to be a member of the European Union (EU), that is the question for Britain now.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday announced that Britain will hold a referendum on June 23 to allow people to come to a decision.

The announcement was made a day after British and EU leaders reached a deal on Britain's "special status" in the bloc.

Cameron is hoping that the deal in Brussels will help pro-European sentiment prevail in the voting. However, any referendum carries uncertainties and it is hard to foretell the outcome.

ROCKY UK-EU RELATIONS

Britain's rocky relationship with the EU dates back to the 1950s. When the European Coal and Steel Community was forged in 1951, Britain stood on the sidelines; and it declined an invitation to join the six founding nations of the European Economic Community (EEC) in signing the Treaty of Rome in 1957.

However, after its colonies claimed independence one after another and it encountered the Suez Crisis, London realized that its special relationship with Washington was not enough, and then began to turn to European partners.

Britain applied to join the EEC in 1961 but was rejected -- twice -- by then French President Charles de Gaulle. It finally joined the EEC in 1973, after de Gaulle left office.

When the EEC membership was put to a referendum in 1975, it had the support of Britain's three main parties and all its national newspapers. More than two-thirds of Britons voted in favor.

Today, Britain and the EU have stood together through thick and thin. British exports to the EU account for nearly half of its total exports and provide job opportunities for 5 million Britons. Besides, Britain has seen massive foreign capital inflow in recent years mainly thanks to its role as a bridgehead in the EU.

However, as Britain attaches great importance to such issues as its sovereignty and global financial status, debate on its EU membership has never ended.

In recent years, as Europe faces challenges such as the Greek debt crisis, waves of refugees and international terrorism in addition to a rocketing number of migrants seeking jobs in Britain due to the free movement of people, Euroskeptics have gained growing influence.

For instance, in the 2015 general election, the Euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party obtained 12.6 percent of the vote, replacing the Liberal Democrats as the third most popular party after the Conservatives and Labour.

As early as in 2013, Cameron pledged an "in or out" referendum if the Conservatives won the election. He said he wanted to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU and then give people the "simple choice" between staying in under those new terms, or leaving the EU.

CLOSE MATCH

Now, the Europhiles have obvious political advantage as the deal with Brussels satisfied to some extent Britain's demand in terms of sovereignty and migrant benefits.

Besides, leaders of the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party expressed support for Britain's EU membership. Britain's big companies and financial circle also opposed the country's exit from the bloc.

However, the Euroskeptics should not be underestimated as they come from different parties and at least six members of Cameron's cabinet said they would participate in campaigns for Britain's exit.

Polls last week showed that the yes and no camps are almost even in strength.

With the European refugee crisis and terrorism lingering on and the vigorous Euroskeptic campaigns swaying public sentiment, it really could be a tough question for Britons to decide whether to be in or out of the EU. Endi