Brexit referendum: Plenty at stake for Europe as well

The UK was a latecomer to the European Union and has always been an ambivalent member. Geography and history have left a deep imprint on the country's relations with the continent. The English Channel - that thin stretch of water only 32km wide at its narrowest point - has enabled the UK to avoid foreign invasion and occupation for almost 1,000 years. The UK could long steer clear of deep and permanent engagement on the European mainland, intervening primarily when a single power - whether France, Germany or the Soviet Union - threatened to conquer all of continental Europe.

Following World War II, closely allied with the United States and at the hub of the (British) Commonwealth, the UK still aspired to play a world role as an independent state. It thus initially stayed out of both the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community.

Despite finally entering the EU in 1973, the UK never became fully reconciled to its European vocation. Its relations with the EU remained fraught, notably during the prime ministership of Margaret Thatcher. Then, as, after the Cold War, the rest of the EU forged closer political integration, it increasingly became a semi-detached member, opting out of both the euro and the Schengen Area.