Transcript European Union Politics

Introduction to the European
Union
Joe Jupille
Colorado European Union Center of Excellence
University of Colorado at Boulder
National Council for the Social Studies
Denver, CO
November 13, 2010
“Nothing is possible without men; nothing is
lasting without institutions” – Jean Monnet
“To understand the Europe you have to be a
genius … or French” – Madeline Albright
Historical Development:
Treaties and
Members
Treaties
Paris
Rome
1952 (ECSC) 1958 (EEC)
1950
1960
"The Six": 1952, 1958
"Big 3 & Small 3"
France, Germany, Italy,
Belgium, Netherlands,
Luxembourg
SEA
1987
1970
Maastricht
1993 (EU)
1980
1990
EC 10 & 12: 1981 & 86
"Southern 3"
Greece (1981)
Spain & Portugal
(1986)
EC 9: 1973
"Northern 3"
Ireland,
Denmark,
United Kingdom
Member States
EU15: 1995
“Easy 3"
Austria,
Finland,
Sweden
Am'dam Nice
1999
2003
2000
Lisbon
2009
2010
EU25: 2004
“Big Bang”
Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonia, Poland,
Hungary, Czech
Republic, Malta,
Cyprus, Slovakia,
Slovenia
EU27: 2007
Romania,
Bulgaria
Growth of EU Policy Competence
European Union Basics, 2010
27
Member States
Combined
population of EU
Member States
7
56
million
Percent of world’s
population
30
*Countries shaded gray are candidates for EU membership
500
Percent of
global GDP
Percent of combined
worldwide Official
Development Assistance
EU Basics, 2010:
Policy Competence
Non-Discrimination and …
Services
Approximation of Laws
Public Health
… Citizenship of the Union
Capital …
Economic and Monetary
Policy
Consumer Protection
The Internal Market
… and Payments
Economic Policy
Trans-European Networks
Free Movement of Goods
Cutoms Union
Agriculture…
… and Fisheries
Free Movement of Persons,
Services and Capital
Area of Freedom, Security
Monetary Policy
Industry
and Justice
Policies on Border Checks,
Economic and Social
Employment
Asylum and Immigration
Cohesion
Judicial Cooperation in Civil
Common Commercial Policy Research and Technology
Matters
Judicial Cooperation in
Customs Cooperation
Environment
Criminal Matters
Transport
Social Policy
Workers
Competition
Education, Vocational
Training and Youth
Right of Establishment
Tax Provisions
Culture
Common Foreign and Defense Policy
Development Cooperation
Economic, financial and
technical cooperation with
third countries
Association of Overseas
Countries and Territories
EU Institutions
European Council
(Summit)
European Parliament
Court of
Justice
Court of
Auditors
European Investment Bank
Council of the EU
European Commission
Economic and Social
Committee
Committee of the Regions
Agencies
European Central Bank
Summit of the European Council
Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries
•Held at least 4 times a year
•Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies
•President: Herman Van Rompuy
European Commission
• 27 Commissioners, each
responsible for specific policy
areas, representing the
common European
perspective.
• Proposes legislation and
enforces laws.
• Negotiates trade agreements.
• Manages Europe’s multilateral
development cooperation.
European Commission President
José Manuel Barroso
Council of the European Union
• EU’s main decision-making body,
comprised of ministers of 27 Member
States, representing each Member
State’s point of view.
• Decides on foreign policy issues.
• Council presidency rotates among
Member States every six months.
Council of the European Union
voice of the member states
• One minister from each EU country
• Presidency: rotates every six months
• Decides EU laws and budget together
with Parliament
• Manages the common foreign and
security policy
Council of the European Union
number of votes per country
Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom
29
Spain and Poland
27
Romania
14
Netherlands
13
Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
12
Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
10
Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland
7
Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia
4
Malta
3
Total:
345
“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:
255 votes and a majority of member states
From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population
European Parliament
• Voice of European citizens.
• Members elected for five-year
terms.
• With the Council, passes EU laws
and adopts EU budgets.
• Approves EU Commissioners.
The European Political Parties
Number of seats in the European Parliament
per political group
(January 2010)
Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe
84
Greens/European Free Alliance
55
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and
Socialists and Democrats Democrats
184
European United
Left - Nordic Green Left
35
European People’s Party
(Christian Democrats)
265
European Conservatives
and Reformists
54
Europe of Freedom
and Democracy
32
Total : 736
Non-attached members
27
European Court of Justice
•
Highest EU judicial authority.
•
Ensures all EU laws are interpreted
and applied correctly and uniformly.
•
Can act as an independent policy
maker but unlike the U.S. Supreme
Court, the ECJ can only deal with
matters covered by the Treaties.
Legislation: Three key players
The European
Parliament
The Council of the
European Union
Voice of the people
Voice of the Member States
The European
Commission
Promoting the
common interest
Legislative Process
Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
National or local authorities: implement
Commission and Court of Justice:
monitor implementation
The Politics of EU Institutions
• Following Monnet, the EU has always had an “institutionalizing
reflex”: when in doubt, create a rule/institution.
• These politics of institution-building distinguish the EU from its
national counterparts in the developed world.
• This is also partly why the EU is so messy, complex, and hard for
Americans (and other non-French) to understand.
Word Counts of Treaties/Constitutions
158258
61799
16246 29249
5695 10613
47384 35828
47691
11721
The Frustrations …
• All of this messiness strikes most Americans as
inefficient , confusing, somewhat pointless.
• It can indeed be maddening to even comprehend the
EU, with its arcane debates and constantly shifting
institutional arrangements, let alone engage with it.
Years from Entry Into Force of Treaty A and
Signature of Treaty B
28.18
4.61
Rome-SEA SEA-TEU
3.92
TEU-AT
4.87
1.83
1.74
AT-Nice
Nice-CT
Nice-LT
… and the Need
• Yet, this sometimes inward-looking,
institutionally-oriented nature of EU politics isn’t
pointless; working out and through all of this is
part of the process of mutual adjustment
required when 27 states pool their sovereignty.
• Messy complexity is in the EU’s genetic makeup
and it is not going to change. Indeed, things may
get worse in this respect (e.g., because of the
addition of new members) before they get better.
Conclusion
• EU Politics is messy and complex, due to its
size and crowded agenda, but also due to the
“institutional reflex” first instilled by Monnet.
• Yet, as we know, and as other panelists and
panels will discuss, the EU is an indispensible
partner for the US.
• We have to learn to live with, if not love, the
European Union.
Resources: To Learn More
• European Union Delegation to the United States
of America: http://www.eurunion.org/eu/
– Its Education Resources and Teachers’ Corner pages
offer a rich range of materials for use in your
classrooms.
• Network of European Union Centers of Excellence
in the United States: http://euce.org/
– Its Education page offers a tremendous range of K-12
content, including wonderful lesson plans.