A Level Revision Notes: The EU - An Introduction to the EU and its Institutions

Set up to ensure peace in Western Europe
751 MEPS, voting on laws from European Commission
European Court of Justice administrate EU Law
The Schengen Agreement: Where you can travel to each country without verification.
European Commission for each country in charge of one EU area e.g France control the transport element of the EU. Arguments that they are not elected.

EU Timeline:

1951: European Coal and Steel Community Formed
1957: European Economic Community was created. Known as the Common Market
1973: UK joins the European Community
1983: Single European Act was signed
1993: The European Union was created
2002: Euro currency was formed
2004: 10 more countries joined the EU
2009: Sovereign debt crisis.

In What Sense Has The UK Been A Semi-Detached Member:

We did not want the Euro, we voted to leave and didn’t want economic union

What Is Qualified Majority Voting And What Is It Significance:

A voting arrangement in which proposals must win a set number of votes (50%) to be approved. This means that there would be a majority

Aims Of The EU:

Promoting peace and the EU values
Establishing a single European market
Promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion
Establishing a economic and monetary union
Establishing an area of freedom, security, and justice without internal frontiers.
Combating discrimination and promoting equality.

Four Freedoms Of The EU:

Free movement of goods: Member states cannot impose taxes on goods from other EU states. Can also be moved from one EU state to another. Boarder checks have also been removed
Free movement of services: Professionals, businesses and self-employed people can open or establish their services in the EU. Qualifications from one EU state are recognised in others
Free movement of people: Right to seek employment in another EU state without discrimination. Everyone has the same rights as national workers
Free movement of capital: Restrictions on capital movements e.g buying currency between EU states have been removed.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of An Economic And Monetary Union:
Advantages	Disadvantages
An end to exchange rate uncertainty	A loss of sovereignty as national governments control currency
Elimination of transaction costs on cross border checks	ECBs “one size fits all” policy on interest rates may not suit all states
Elimination of transaction costs on cross border checks	Rules designed to ensure budgetary discipline were not implemented.

Has The EU Achieved Its Aim?
Yes	No
The single market of 500 million consumers is the largest in the world and has promoted trade, investment and prosperity.	The single market is incomplete and over-regulated
It has protected the extended the rights of workers and promoted the economic development of its poorer regions	Economic growth in the EU is weak and socioeconomic equality is growing
It has extended citizens rights notably through the right to live and work in another EU state	The free movement of people and EU migration policy has proved to be controversial
Economic and monetary union has eliminated transaction costs within the Eurozone	Economic and monetary union has experienced significant difficulties with less prosperous states running up significant debts and then being required to introduce austerity measures.
Increasing political union has delivered coordinated action on cross-boarder issues such as criminal justice and immigration	It has not been able to resolve major challenges such as the migration crisis
It has cemented democracy and the rule of law in European stats that had previously been under authoritarian rule.	There is a significant popular opposition to increasing political union and the democratic deficit as seen in the rise of populist parties and Brexit.

What Are Inter-Governmental Institutions And What Are Supranational Institutions:

Inter-governmental: National governments meetings (Council of EU and European Council)
Supranational: Bodies with their own authority (European Commission, European Parliament and Court of Justice)

The 5 Key Institutions Of The EU And What They Do:

European Commission:

The executive body of the EU with political and administrative functions
Acts in general interests of the EU
President is nominated by the European Council and then by the European Parliament. Commissioners are nominated by national governments and approved by the European Parliament.
The European Commission: Has the sole right to initidate draft legislation in most areas of the EU; exectutes EU legislation and ensures it is applied correctly; administers EU expendigure and collects revenue; represents the EU on the world stage, notably in trade negotiations

Council Of The European Union:

The main decision-making body of the EU where 28-member states take key decisions on EU legislation
Presidency of the council is held by member states for 6 months
They: share legislative power with European Parliament; coordinates the economic policies of member states; develops the common foreign and security policy of the Union
2 more voting procedures: Unanimity: Any proposal will fail if at least one-member state vetoes it; Qualified Majority Voting: Majority is achieved if 55% of member states vote in four and proposal is supported by states representing at least 65% of the EU population

European Council:

Where heads of government and foreign ministers meet. President of European Council and European Commission also attend.
They meet every 4 years and the president is president for 2 ½ years
They enhance the power of member state by: Discussing major issues; sets the political direction of the EU; making key decisions on foreign policy and EU economic situation; launches new initiatives and agrees on changes to treaties.

European Parliament:

The directly elected institution, with elections taking place every 5 years.
751 MEPs, sitting in transnational party groups based on ideology rather than nationality
3 locations: Strasbourg (where most sessions are held), Brussels (where committee meetings are held) and Luxembourg (where its secretariat is based)
Has a number of powers.
Legislative Power: Shares with Council of EU. Cannot initiate legislation. Can amend and veto legislation. Most amendments are accepted
Budgetary Powers: Shares budgetary authority with the Council of the EU and can request amendments to the budget or veto it.
Democratic Supervision: Elects the president of European Commission after nomination by European Council. Parliament can then question commissioners and council members.

Court Of Justice Of The European Union:

Upholds EU Law and ensures that it is applied uniformly
Located in Luxembourg
Court decides cases involving member states, EU institutions, businesses and individuals.
Decisions by the court have extended the EU's competence and strengthen its institutions
Should not be confused with European Court of Human Rights which has nothing to do with the EU

Is There A Democratic Deficit In The EU:

The erosion of democratic accountability that occurs when decision-making authority is transferred from national governments to EU institutions
Also, can refer to the distance between the EU and its citizens as citizens do not understand and there has been a decline in European Parliament.
The EU supranational institutions have most autonomy in technical areas which also operate at arm's length from the democratic process in nation states

Is There A Democratic Deficit In The EU:
Yes	No
Legislation is initiated by the European Commission which is not directly elected	European Commission is accountable to the European Parliament and its key players are nominated by national governments
National governments can be outvoted under QMV and this may mean that the will of the electorate is thwarted.	EU’s supranational institutions have grated autonomy in technical matters
The directly elected European Parliament is not powerful	National governments are represented in the Council of EU and European Council where bargaining is the norm
Elections to the European Parliament are dominated by national issues and turnout is low	European Parliament shares legislative power with the Council of the EU in most policy areas – check and balances
Citizens do not understand the EU, it is too distant and complex – they have oppressed key developments	EU does not have power in key areas of national life such as tax, social security and education

Distinguish Between Legal Sovereignty And Political Sovereignty:

Legal: Supreme legal authority – the theoretical exercise of sovereignty
Political: The political ability to exercise sovereignty – sovereignty in practice

What Are Differences Between Parliamentary And Popular Sovereignty:

Parliamentary: Where ultimate authority resides with a parliament which is the supreme lawmaking body.
3 elements: Legislation cannot be overturned, can legislate on any subject, cannot bind its successors
EU law is above UK law in the country e.g Merchant Shipping Act 1988 and Court of Justice saying that we cannot make a new law that goes against the EU law
Popular: Where the authority of the state is derived from the consent of the people
After Brexit result, people said that referendums are not binding but then requires the consent of Parliament.

Is Brexit Going To Restore British Sovereignty?
Yes	No
Parliamentary Sovereignty will be restored as parliament will have the supreme authority and the UK will no longer be subject to EU law	Globalisation means that no state can act independently on issues such as the environment, migration and economic policy
Policy competence will be returned to the UK government and parliament. They, not the EU, will make law in these laws	By pooling sovereignty in the EU, the UK was able to achieve policy objectives that it might not be able to achieve outside of the EU. Also gave the UK more influence in European and World affairs
Voters will have greater opportunity to hold the government to account for policy decisions in areas where the EU had competence	A post-Brexit deal with the EU might still entail some loss of sovereignty if the UK-EU relationship is similar to those between EU-Norway

In What 7 Ways Has The UK Been An “Awkward Member”:

Distinctive History And Culture: UKs history is different to the rest of Europe. Has a global outlook and a good relationship with the USA
Late entry: French president Charles de Gaulle vetoed the UK's membership twice and it wasn’t until 1973 we joined when policies that the UK finds problematic were already in place
Wariness Of Further Integration: UK governments have been less enthusiastic about integration. They tend to support intergovernmental than supranational and a single market
EU Policy Exemptions: The UK has negotiated a series of special arrangements and opt-outs which means it does not participate in some EU policies such as the Maastricht Treaty.
Limited Influence In EU Negotiations: The UK has often been in a minority of states opposed to change and has not developed relationships to rival the Franco-German partnership. It has, however, been influenced in areas such as the single market and defence
Weak Elite Consensus: The UK has not experienced the strong elite consensus on the benefits of the EU found in other member states. The 2 main parties have swapped positions on Europe such as Labour in the 60s on joining together.
Popular Euroscepticism: Levels of public support for the EU and integration in the UK has always been low. Citizens feel as though they are not ‘European’ due to newspapers such as the Mail. UKIP has fuelled this and this was made apparent in the referendum in 2016.