Is GBs'thriving economy an obstacle for its full integration to the EC?

Answer 1

Not in itself, however the infrastructure (political, economical etc.) which supports this thriving economy may be (since it will have to be synchronized with EU)

Also note that as a general rule the benefits of the union are spread out, so the less developed countries do better than the developed ones

Answer 2

No. It's Britain's oil. Full integration to the EC means abandoning the pound in favor of the euro. Adopting the euro only makes sense if Britain reponds to external shocks (such as higher oil prices) in the same way other members of EMU do. Britain doesn't, so full integration is not a good idea for Britain.

One other country with a similar (actually, even bigger that Britain's) "problem" is Norway; over there, joining EMU is barely discussed, since it would obviously be silly for Norway to join...

Answer 3

guess it depends which way you're looking from.
From the UK keep-the-pound regime it is a damned good obstacle.
From the EU lets-integrate camp it would be a welcome influx of Euros.

Granted it's a little bit more complex than that but i'm too sleepy to get too involved lol