Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (1979-1990).

From 10 to 11 May 1979, Margaret Thatcher, the newly elected British Prime Minister, receives Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on an official visit to London.

In his memoirs, Roy Jenkins, President of the European Commission from 1977 to 1981, recalls Margaret Thatcher’s refusal to accept the proposal made by her European partners concerning Britain’s contribution to the Community budget at the Luxembourg European Council, held on 27 and 28 April 1980.

On 30 November 1979, commenting on the progress of the work carried out at the Dublin European Council, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir describes the position taken by the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, regarding her country's contribution to the Community budget.

Am 29. November 1979 schreibt der luxemburgische Außenminister Gaston Thorn in der belgischen Tageszeitung Le Soir über die Tagesordnung des Europäischen Rates von Dublin und die heftigen Debatten zwischen den neun Mitgliedstaaten über den Beitrag Großbritanniens zum Haushalt der Gemeinschaft.

In February 1980, the federalist magazine L'Europe en formation analyses the problem of the British contribution to the Community budget which threatens to drag the Community down into a serious crisis.

„Die Eiserne Lady: ,Keine Kompromisse!‘“. Im Jahr 1980 illustriert der deutsche Karikaturist Walter Hanel die Probleme, die der Präsident der Französischen Republik, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, und der deutsche Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt dabei haben, mit der britischen Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher eine politische Einigung über den Beitrag des Vereinigten Königreichs zum Gemeinschaftshaushalt zu erzielen.

'A little something for Europe.' In 1980, the cartoonist Behrendt portrays the exasperation felt by the British concerning their financial contribution to the Community budget.

On 15 March 1980, three months after the Dublin European Council, the French weekly magazine L'Express considers the position of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, regarding the method of determining the Member States' financial contributions to the Community budget.

At the Luxembourg European Council on 27 and 28 April 1980, the Nine find it hard to reach an initial agreement on the question of the British contribution to the Community budget. The photo shows British Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington (on the right) speaking to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (centre) at the European Council meeting. Margaret Thatcher, dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’, is demanding a reduction in the United Kingdom’s contribution to the Community budget.

‘Maggie was here…' During the European Council, held in Luxembourg on 27 and 28 April 1980, the Nine reach an initial agreement on the British rebate with great difficulty.

In 1980, as the question of the United Kingdom’s financial contribution to the Community budget — which the country deems to be much too large — comes to the fore, demonstrators protest against any suggestion of derogation, concession or restructuring of Community policies.

On 2 June 1980, the cabinet meets in London to discuss the latest progress in the negotiations in Brussels on the United Kingdom’s financial contribution to the Community budget. From left to right: Sir Ian Gilmore, Lord Privy Seal, James Prior, Secretary of State for Employment, and Lord Carrington, British Foreign Secretary.

On 27 March 1982, the French weekly newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur criticises the European policy pursued by the United Kingdom since it joined the European Communities in 1973, whilst indicating some ambiguities in the actions of its European partners.

On 15 May 1982, the French Catholic daily newspaper La Croix criticises the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s position on the British contribution to the Community budget and indicates her isolation on the European scene.

‘I fear, gentlemen, that in future you will have to cook the EC-cake without me!’ In August 1982, 25 years after the establishment of the European Economic Community, cartoonist Hans Geisen offers a portrayal of the Europe of the Ten that is far from idyllic, emphasising the intransigent attitude of Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with regard to the British contribution to the Community budget.

On 21 June 1983, following the Stuttgart European Council held from 17 to19 June, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the agreement reached between the United Kingdom and its European partners on the British budgetary rebate.

Die Haltung der britischen Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher bringt den am 19. und 20. März 1984 in Brüssel stattfindenden EG-Gipfel zum Scheitern. Das deutsche Nachrichtenmagazin Der Spiegel analysiert die dadurch entstandene EG-Krise.

‘Rule Britannia in splendid isolation.’ On 30 March 1984, following the failure of the Brussels European Council of 19 and 20 March, Fritz Behrendt, a Dutch cartoonist originally from Berlin, paints an ironic picture of the intransigence of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the question of the British contribution to the European Community budget. Several allegorical and patriotic British symbols are used to emphasise the firm stance of the ‘Iron Lady’. Margaret Thatcher is depicted as ‘Britannia’, the female personification of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, wearing a helmet and armed with a three-pronged fork and a shield, accompanied by a roaring lion and by the defiant figure of John Bull, another allegorical representation of the UK. The phrase on the banner, which refers to a patriotic British song, illustrates Margaret Thatcher’s determination to keep the United Kingdom separate from European affairs.

On 23 March 1984, in an interview granted to the German magazine Der Spiegel, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), sets out the priorities for Germany’s European policy after the failure of the European Summit held in Brussels on 19 and 20 March 1984. He also considers the thorny question of the British contribution to the Community budget.

On 25 June 1984, commenting on the opening of the Fontainebleau European Council held on 25 and 26 June, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro outlines the efforts made by the French Presidency of the European Communities to find a solution to the problem of Britain's contribution to the Community budget.

On 27 June 1984, in connection with the Fontainebleau European Council, the French daily newspaper Libération describes the difficult negotiations between the Ten with regard to the question of the United Kingdom's contribution to the Community budget.

In June 1984, the French cartoonist, Plantu, takes an ironic look at the different assessments of the outcome of the Fontainebleau European Council held on 25 and 26 June 1984. Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, welcomes the agreement on the United Kingdom's financial contribution to the budget of the European Communities, while François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic and President-in-Office of the Community, is pleased with the first European passport.

‘My money! My money!’ ‘You’re not so bad after all!!’ Illustrating the failure of the Copenhagen European Council held on 4 and 5 December 1987, the French cartoonist, Plantu, emphasises the disagreement between Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, and her European counterparts with regard to budgetary issues (on the right, French President François Mitterrand and his Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac).

On 30 April 1988, using the myth of the Trojan Horse (here given the features of Edward Heath, former British Prime Minister) to illustrate the position of the United Kingdom towards the European Communities, the British cartoonist, Michael Cummings, takes an ironic look at the new climate resulting from the European policy pursued by the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Le 27 juillet 1988, Margaret Thatcher, Premier ministre britannique, livre aux journalistes de la British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) sa conception de l'intégration européenne.

In diesem Interview spricht der ehemalige belgische Premierminister und Minister für Auswärtige Beziehungen Leo Tindemans ausführlich über die Haltung der ehemaligen britischen Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher zum britischen Beitrag zum Gemeinschaftshaushalt.

On 20 September 1988, at the beginning of the 39th academic year of the College of Europe in Bruges, the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, delivers a speech on the future of Europe and condemns the bureaucratic and centralist tendencies of the Community tendencies of the Community system.

On 29 July 1988, illustrating the tensions between the United Kingdom and the European Communities, the British cartoonist, Michael Cummings, takes an ironic look at the difficult relations between Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, and Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission.

In its summer 1988 editorial, the federalist magazine L’Europe en formation criticises the European policy being pursued by the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and calls on the founding countries not to relax their efforts to create a united Europe, with particular regard to political and monetary union.

In his editorial of 21 September 1988, Emanuele Gazzo, Director of Agence Europe, explains why, in his opinion, the speech given in Bruges by Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, adds nothing new as regards the objectives of the European policy pursued by Britain’s Conservative Government.

Am 21. September 1988 nimmt die belgische Tageszeitung Le Soir den Inhalt der Rede unter die Lupe, die die britische Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher am Vortag im Europa-Kolleg in Brügge gehalten hat.

Am 21. September 1988 kommentiert die Tageszeitung La Libre Belgique die Rede, die die britische Premierministerin Margarat Thatcher tags zuvor im Europakolleg in Brügge gehalten hat und in der sie die bürokratischen und zentralistischen Ausuferungen des Gemeinschaftssystems kritisiert.

Nach der Rede Margarat Thatchers in Brügge kommentiert die französische Tageszeitung Le Monde am 22. September 1988 die Haltung der britischen Premierministerin zur europäischen Integration.

Am 22. September 1988 kommentiert die spanische Tageszeitung El País die berühmte Rede Margaret Thatchers in Brügge und beschreibt die Vision der britischen Premierministerin von Europa.

On 28 September 1988, Wilfried Martens, Belgian Prime Minister, responds during a press conference to the speech on the future of Europe given in Bruges one week earlier by Margaret Thatcher.

On 31 October 1988, the British left-wing daily newspaper The Guardian considers the political impact of the critical stance taken by Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, on the Delors Commission and European issues.

Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister (1979-1990).

On 28 April 1989, Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Labour Party, criticises the European policy of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, who does not hesitate to attack Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission.

In 1989, the German cartoonist, Walter Hanel, portrays the hesitations of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, with respect to Community Europe.