- 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 |
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.