Transcript The European Union

The European Union
A United States of Europe?
What is the European Union?
The European Union, or EU, describes
itself as a family of democratic
European countries, committed to
working together for peace and
prosperity.
 An international organization of
European countries formed after
World War II to reduce trade barriers
and increase cooperation among its
members
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Brief History
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French statesmen Jean Monnet and Robert
Schuman are regarded as the architects of
the principle that the best way to start the
European bonding process was by developing
economic ties.
Brief History
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In 1951 the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) was founded.
 France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxembourg.
(1958) Treaty of Rome
 these 6 countries founded the European
Economic Community and European
Atomic Energy Community to work
alongside the ECSC.
Brief History
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1967
 The three communities merged to become
collectively known as the European
Communities (EC)
 Main focus was on cooperation in
economic and agricultural affairs.
Denmark, Ireland and the UK became full EC
members in 1973, Greece joined in 1981,
Portugal and Spain in 1986, Austria, Finland
and Sweden in 1995.
Brief History
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Maastricht Treaty
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Signed in 1991, formally established the
European Union as the successor to the
EC. (becomes official in 1993)
What You Need to Know
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1951: The European Coal and Steel Community is
established by the six founding members
1957: The Treaty of Rome establishes a common market
1973: The Community expands to nine member states and
develops its common policies
1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament
1981: The first Mediterranean enlargement1993:
Completion of the single market
1993: The Treaty of Maastricht establishes the European
Union
1995: The EU expands to 15 members
2002: Euro notes and coins are introduced
2004: Ten more countries join the Union
Brief History
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1999
The creation of a single currency, the Euro.
 Officially used in 2002.
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Set Up of the E.U.
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Headquarters
Brussels, Belgium
 Strasbourg, France
 Luxembourg
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Made up of 27 countries.
 Denmark, Sweden and the United
Kingdom do not use the Euro.
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Set Up of the E.U.
COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN UNION
Main EU decision making body
 Also known as Council of Ministers
 Represents interests of individual
member states
 Each member state represented by its
own ministers
 Presidency rotates between member
states on six-monthly basis
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Proposes legislation to Council and
Parliament
 Manages implementation of EU
legislation
 Commissioners appointed on five-yearly
basis by Council in agreement with
member states
 Appointments confirmed by parliament
to which commission is answerable
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
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Members - MEPs - elected
every five years by EU
citizens
Votes on and oversees
implementation of EU
budget
Considers Commission
proposals on legislation
Works with Council on
legislative decisions
A United State of Europe?
 In
certain respects, this is true. Over
the past two decades, EU member
states have agreed to create a single
market (eliminating most non-tariff
barriers to trade), a single currency, a
more powerful European Parliament,
a European Central Bank (ECB), and
the foundations of a common
European security and defense policy.
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A United States of Europe?
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Still, the EU remains less unified than a
federation of states. The legal basis of the EU
is not a constitution, but a series of treaties.
Member states still retain far more autonomy
and power regarding the EU’s central
institutions—especially in the crucial areas of
taxation, public expenditure, and security—
than do U.S. states regarding the federal
government.
A vivid reminder of this fact is that only 12 of
the EU’s 15 member states agreed to adopt
the single currency, the euro.