INTRODUCTION TO
EUROPEAN POLITICS
Dr Simona Guerra
simona.guerra@nottingham.ac.uk
 WHAT
EU INSTITUTIONS
(The Council of Minister, The European Parliament, The
European Commission; and The Economic and Social Committee,
The Committee of the Regions and Local Authorities, The European
Court of Justice, The Court of Auditors)
 WHY
(Although EU MSs hold most of the decision making power,
the EU institutions can be compared with their governing
bodies, and we can study the EU ‘executive’, ‘legislative’ and
‘judicial’ functions)
 HOW
(Treaties & Theories; Unanimity/QMV; Consultation/Cooperation/Co-Decision)
 WHEN
(Standstills and developments; Where next)
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
 Key decision making branch;
coordination of key EU policies
 Meeting place of national interests?
– compromise, bargaining and diplomacy
Meeting of European Union Ministers.
© Gryffindor and released into the public domain
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EU_Gymnichmeeting_Bremen_March_2007_003.jpg
 Representatives of the EU MSs, COREPER, presidency for a six-month
period rotating on a fixed rota
 European Council: meeting of the HoSs of the MSs (relaunching of
Europe, The Hague, 1969)
(McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: 229-259 and 276-293)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Hans-Gert Poettering.
© Image by ‫( א‬Aleph)
http://commons.wikimedia.org
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HansGert_Poettering_(2007).jpg
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution
ShareAlike 2.5
 Junior (and most
democratic) EU
institution?
(single chamber, 785 MEPs,
President in office for half of the legislature,
two-and-a-half year – renewable, role of the committees)
 ‘Unlike conventional legislatures’ ‘it cannot
introduce laws or raise revenues’ (EC)
(but ‘budgetary authority’, supervisory powers over the EU
institutions, vote on the college of Commissioners)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Political Groups in the European Parliament
• ‘Shares the power of
amendment and decision
with the Council of Minister’
(increasing powers from consultation
procedure – Rome, to cooperation
procedure – SEA, and codecision
procedure – Maastricht)
Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe 101
Independence/
Demoncracy 44
Greens/European
Free Aliance 43
European People’s Party
(Christian Demoncrats) and
European Democrats
Union for Europe
of the Nations 44
Social Group 215
• Is there a
democratic
deficit? (wk11)
Situation in March 2008
41 European United Left
– Nordic Green Left
http://www.europarl.europa.eu
Non-attached Members and
temporarily empty seats 29
© Glentamara
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:European_
Parliament_political_groups_2_March_2008.svg
Released into public domain
(McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: 229-259 and 294-315)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
 Executive- bureaucratic arm (27 members,
five-year term,
cabinets)
 Overseeing the execution
of laws and policies
(harmonisation of laws, regulation and standards; ‘big, expensive and
powerful’?; regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and
opinions)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
 Core of EU integration, but reduced
autonomy (EP)?
http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm#
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/index_en.htm
(McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: 229-259 and 261-275)
THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE
Courtroom at the European Court of Justice
© Stefan64
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitzungssaal_EuGH.jpg
Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Unported Licence
 The ECJ meets in Luxembourg.
 The ECJ comprises 27 judges and 8 Advocates General.
 ‘The Judges and Advocates General are appointed by
common accord by the governments of the MSs for a
renewable term of 6 years’.
THE EUROPEAN
COURT OF JUSTICE
 They ‘are chosen from among lawyers whose
independence is beyond doubt and who
possess the qualifications required for
appointment, in their respective countries, to the
highest judicial offices, …’.
 The ECJ ensures that ‘the law is observed in the
interpretation of the Treaties … and the
provisions …’
 Driver of integration? (Neofunct. vs. IG)
http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo1_6308/curia
(Bache and George 2006: 317-332)
HOW
(2002/358/EC: Council Decision of 25 April 2002 concerning the approval
… of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change …)
 ‘The Commission is formally the sole
institution with the right to propose legislation’
 Increasing democratic legitimacy of the EP
(and TEU IG pillars)
 Council (unanimously) can amend the
proposal
(Bache and George 2006: 229-259)
HOW
 Consultation (Commission to the Council; EP’s
opinion; still agr.; policy sectors such as asylum,
immigration, visas)
 Co-operation (SEA, EP’s second reading, proposing
amendments – QMV, ‘common position’)
 Co-Decision (Treaty of Amsterdam)
(Bache and George 2006: 229-259)
HOW
 Co-Decision - First stages as in the Co-operation procedure, up
to the ‘common position’
If the EP rejects the ‘common
position’/Council does not approve the EP’s
amendments: a Conciliation Committee (reps of the
Council and EP, EC as facilitator) is set up – ‘mutually
acceptable compromise text’ (6 wks, QMV for the Council
and simple majority voting for the EP)
If agreed – EP and Council have 6 wks to
adopt it (Council by qualified majority, EP absolute
majority)
If ‘either institution fails to adopt the text’
– the proposal ‘is dead’
(Bache and George 2006: 229-259; Hix 2005: 99-110)
HOW AND WHEN: TREATIES &
 Founding Treaties (Paris and Rome) - EC,
Council and EP, and consultative committees: ESC
 Single European Act (SEA) (1986, 1987) - Council –
legal recognition, extended QMV (internal market), EP (co-operation,
assent procedure) / Internal market; new policy ares to the EEC Treaty,
EPC – legal recognition)
 Treaty of the European Union (TEU) (Maastricht)
(1992, 1993) - Three pillars (EC pillar + 2 UG pillars) (consultative
committes: + CoR) EP (co-decision) / EMU – timetable, pillars two and
three – CFSP and JHA, new policy areas to the EEC Treaty)
HOW AND WHEN: TREATIES &
 Treaty of Amsterdam (1997, 1999) - Council Extended legal base of QMV, EP (extended co-decision), created
enhanced cooperation procedure / CFPS strengthened, much of
JHA to EC pillar, new policy areas to EC pillar
 Treaty of Nice (2001, 2003) - Change of nat. reps in
the institutions+Council: QMV system, extended legal base of
QMV, EP: small extension of co-decision, easier application of
cooperation procedure / marginal (JHA, EC)
(Bache and George 2006: 229-259; Nugent 2006: 129-146)
HOW AND WHEN: & THEORIES
 Neofunctionalism: concept of spillover
 Political spillover: European Commission as ‘the motor role’ mid1980s, extended QMC in the Council, ECJ
 Also, the EU as ‘a series of different regimes’ (transnational actors)
 Intergovernmentalism: IR realist tradition
 Council: national gov’ts are channelled by the Council, but simply
‘forum of hard bargaining’
 The European Commission (and other transnational actors) simply
respond to an agenda set by the govt’s (LIG, Moravcsik 1995)
Debate on the nature of the EU (supranational or intergovernmental)
and role of the European Commission (‘Servant’ or ‘Autonomous Actor’)
and Council?
(Bache and George 2006: 229-313, Nugent 2006: 558-567)
WHERE NEXT
EU 27 and The Treaty of Lisbon (wk 11)
 Rules on the QMV; Presidency (Council)
 Size of the European Commission (2/3 MSs)
and its appointment (majority vote of the Council, formally
appointed by the EP)
 Extended enhanced co-operation (QMV – 55% MSs,
65% pop., and 35% pop. as block min.)
 Extended co-decision (EP) – (enhanced coop. requires
EP’s approval)
 National Parliaments
 Police and Judicial Co-operation Pillar (ceased to be
an IG pillar)
(Bache and George 2006: 229-313
NEXT WEEK
From the history and theories, institutions
and policy-making to:
 Policy-making process:
Internal policies (CAP and Regional
Policy, EMU and Social Policy)
External policies (CFSP and Commercial
policy, Enlargement)