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The European Union 2
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The European Union
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Enlargement
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Enlargement
• Increase in the membership of the EU,
May 2004, from 15 – 25 members
• More states wanting to join – Turkey,
Ukraine, Croatia, Romania
• Impact
– Greater opportunities
– Greater diversity
– Greater challenges?
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Enlargement
• Enlargement brings new
countries with new
problems
• Poverty, unemployment,
regional economic
problems, different cultures
and different employment
regimes present problems
to EU policy makers
Turkey is a country seeking entry to the EU in the next wave of enlargement. Enlargement brings with it
greater opportunities but also new challenges in integrating cultures and economies into the EU.
Title: Turkish boy sells bread on the street. Copyright: Getty Images, available from Education Image Gallery
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Constitution
• The enlargement of the EU has necessitated
negotiating a new Constitution – not just for now
but to cater for future expansion of the EU
• Decision making – how should it be made
and by who? Voting rights of members?
Majority voting? Vetoes?
• Subsidiarity – the principle that decision making
should be made as far as possible at local level
rather than the EU legislating for all
But:
• Economic impact – EU already dominates
legislation in a wide variety of areas
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The Role of the EU
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The Role of the EU
• What should the role of the EU be?
– Enabling economies and the free
market to operate more efficiently?
– Legislating to correct market failure?
– Acting as a benevolent dictator for
the common European good?
• Two key areas of EU policy
with regard to the Social Agenda:
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Poverty
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Poverty in the EU
• Impact of a Europe-wide
ageing population –
pensions, health care
• Discrimination – against
ethnic minorities,
women, the elderly,
disabled
• Establishing the extent
of welfare provision –
incentives v protection
(safety net)
• Establishing a minimum
income scheme –
the lessons of the CAP?
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was successful in
raising agricultural output across Europe but at a huge
cost to EU taxpayers. Could intervention by the EU in
relation to minimum income schemes have the same
results; is such intervention desirable and do the ends
justify the means?
Title: Combine harvester. Copyright: Getty Images, available from
Education Image Gallery.
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Unemployment
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Unemployment in the EU
• Several members with
unemployment problems
• Fiscal, supply side and monetary
policies can be used by the EU
to combat such problems
• What are the consequences?
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Unemployment in the EU
• Policies that affect the labour market
could help protect some but cause
problems to others
• Will such intervention
lead to a less flexible labour market?
• Will this limit the freedoms provided
by the single market to encourage free
movement of labour across the Union?
• Will it lead to government failure
on a Europe-wide scale?
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