Chapter 1 Introduction

1
Chapter 1 Introduction

• Cini (ed.) European Union Politics, 2nd edition
• OUP Online Teaching Resources

2
Structure of the Lecture

• What is the EU?
• Why was it set up?
• Who can join?
• Who pays?
• How is policy made?

3
What is the EU?

• Acquis communautaire a set of shared common
  value
• EU institutions
• Member states Vs EU institutions in
  decision-making procedures

4
Why was the EU set up?

• The negative experience of the founding member
  states during and after the Second World War
• To ensure the peace and security in (Western)
  Europe
• German Question for peace and economic
  reconstruction
• Political Economic ambitions of the Union in
  the 21st century

5
Who can join?

• The criteria for joining the Union
• ? What does European mean?
• Enlargements
• - the UK, Ireland, Denmark / Spain, Portugal /
  Sweden, Finland, Austria
• - 10 new members in May 2004
• - Further enlargement process
• Turkey
• ? For more on enlargement see Chapter 26

6
Who pays?

• The Community budget
• Financial Perspective
• Rebate issues the UK Vs France
• Inter-institutional cooperation amongst EU
  institutions
• Budgetary Authority the European Parliament and
  Council
• The European Commission PDB (Preliminary Draft
  Budget)
• Member States

7
How is European Policy Made?

• Complexity of defining policy-making in the EU
• Intergovernmental
• Supranational
• Co-decision procedure

8
How is European Policy Made?

• EU institutions involved in making European
  policy
• The institutional triangle (the Commission,
  Council Parliament)
• Roles of national, sub-national bodies interest
  groups
• Legislative procedures legal basis in the
  European policy process