The European Union
SUPRANATIONAL ORGANIZATION
• Integrated states, with the main purpose of
sharing common rules and policies in order to
strengthen these states economic and political
clout in the international community.
• Confederation
• EU nations have ceded some sovereignty to
the EU.
Brief History of the EU
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Marshall Plan
Treaty of Rome: eliminated tariffs, 15 yrs ( ’57)
Founded in 1993
Maastricht Treaty: est. EU, most important
Schengen Agreement: opened borders
Treaty of Amsterdam: expanded Schengen
Lisbon Treaty: permanent Pres, greater Auth.
EU began as the Eur. Coal and Steel Community
Efforts to have an EU constitution have been
rejected by Neth. And France
The European Union
Curriculum Highlights
Key Terms
• Supranational Organization
• Broadening
• Deepening
• Sovereignty
• Euro
• Qualified majority voting
• Democratic Deficit
• Maastricht Treaty
• Lisbon Treaty
The European Union
Curriculum Highlights
Key Policy Areas
- Trade: (EEC) Euro. Econ. Community
- Monetary System (UK has opted out)
- Agriculture: (CAP) Common Agriculture Policy – protects
European farmers, Largest item in the EU budget
- Justice: (ECJ) Euro. Court of Justice
- Labor
- Human Rights
• The EU has limited powers in:
– Military/foreign policy
The European Union
Curriculum Highlights
Key Institutions of Government
Commission – 28 members, exec branch, initiates
and implements policies and programs
Council of Ministers – center of policy decisions
Court of Justice: 28 justices, 6 yr terms( Lux)
Parliament – shares policy making, weakest inst
( directly elected, based on population
European Commission
• Acts as the Executive Branch of the EU
• Represents the EU interests as a whole
• Charged with proposing community
legislation
• supervising the implementation of
community policy
• serving as the guardian of EU treaties
• Includes one Commissioner from each
member state
Council of Ministers
• Forum in which national members
express their national preferences
• Rotates the Presidency of Council equally
among member states
• Members appointed by member states
• Most important duty is to pass laws
• Complex weighted voting depending on
members pop. Size
European Parliament
• Directly elected assembly with seats
allocated on the basis of population
• Effectively paired with the Council of
Ministers
• Together they co-decide on
Commission proposals
Law Making
• In principle, the Commission
proposes new laws, and the
Parliament and Council adopt
them
European Court of Justice
• Jurisdiction over all matters of EU
treaty laws
• No jurisdiction over national laws
that are unrelated to EU treaties
• May supersede national laws in
regards to Human Rights issues
The Common Market
• The single most important thin the EU has
done is to integrate many national markets
into one.
• Customs free are surrounded by a common
tariff within which goods can move freely and
where there is a CAP….Common Agr. Policy
• The adoption of the Euro and the Economic
and Monetary Union provided the EU with a
central bank and a strong currency
AP Focus for the EU
• The EUs power is uneven – econ v. justice
• The EU reduces member countries sovereignty
– trade, euro, justice
• EU suffers from a Democratic Deficit
• EU trying to expand and broaden members
and power – Turkey has applied to be a
member
• Global economic collapse: “PIGS” ( Portugal,
Ireland, Greece, Spain) - bailout
Key Concepts of the EU
• 28 member states
• Maastricht Treaty( 1991) – 3 Pillars : economic , justice, and
foreign matters, common defense policy, “European
Citizenship”
• ECJ: European Court of Justice – take precedence over
national law
• EU law supersedes national law
• EU Council of Ministers: uses Qualified Majority Voting, no
unanimity
• Monetary union: Euro
• Operates on a Confederal structure
Key Facts Cont.
• Democratic Deficit: Lack of public
involvement, indirect role of the EU citizens in
choosing who sits on the most important
positions
• Major Policies: CAP, Euro currency, trade
policy, and labor-oriented policy
• Largest part of the EU budget: Natural
Resources – including agriculture and rural
development