The European Union

1
The European Union
2

• Key Dates
• April 1948 Brussels Pact creates NATO
• May 1950 Schuman Monnet propose French
  German place coal steel under common authority
• April 1951 Treaty of Paris adds to Inner Six
  to form ECSC, very complex treaties (130
  articles)
• May 1952 EDC treaty signed, France takes the
  lead (Plevin Plan)
• August 1952 High Authority (9 mbr board) meets
  for the 1st time (Monnet in charge)

3
Key Motivations

• Pastoralize Germany Morgenthau Plan, rejected
  by Truman at Potsdam
• Integrate Germany
• Create an independent Germany, Adenaur
• Deter the USSR
• Functionalist Theory

4
The European Union

• Key Dates (cont)
• May 1954 - French proposal for EPC of Inner Six
• August 1954 French National Assembly defeats
  EDC pact
• October 1954 FRG enters NATO
• June 1955 Messina conf of foreign ministers
  proposes further economic integration of Europe
• March 1957 2 treaties in Rome create EEC and
  EURATOM beside ECSC
• 1963 Degaulle vetoes British admission

5
The European Union

• Key Dates (cont)
• 1965 Merger Treaty (Single commission)
• 1966 - Luxembourg Compromise
• 1968 The Six members create industrial customs
  union removing most internal tariffs and a common
  external tariff (2 years ahead of schedule)
• 1968 Common Agricultural Policy established,
  six years in negotiation
• 1979 Direct elections for European Parliament

6
The European Union Enlargement

• 1957 The Inner Six France, Germany, Italy,
  Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg
• 1973 UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway rejects
  membership
• 1981 Greece
• 1984 Spain, Portugal
• 1995 Austria, Finland, Sweden
• 2004-2013 Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia,
  Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
  Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania Croatia
• Negotiations with Albania, Iceland, Serbia,
  Turkey Macedonia

7
Economic Integration

• 1969 Hague summit agreement on EMU (Snake in
  the tunnel)
• 1977 EMS replaces EMU
• 1979 Cassis decision
• 1985 Cockfield White Paper
• 1987 Single European Act to complete a single
  market by Dec 1992
• 1992 Maastricht Treaty establishes European
  Union (EU)

8
EU Institutions

• The Commission
• The Council of Ministers
• The European Council
• The European Parliament
• The European Court of Justice

9
EU Institutions

• The European Commission
• Supranational executive body with exclusive power
  to initiate legislation administer the budget
• 27 member board (formerly two members from the
  five largest states)
• Serve 5-year renewable terms approved by the
  Parliament
• Supervise the 20k Eurocrats

10
EU Institutions

• The Council of Ministers/European Council
• 27 heads of government or their pertinent
  ministers who set EU policy
• Nominates Commission president
• Meets 4 times per year
• Presidency rotates every 6 months
• Uses qualified majority voting, some issues still
  have to be unanimous

11
EU Institutions

• The European Parliament
• Directly elected by the European voters to meet
  in Strasbourg
• 785 MEPs elected for 5-year terms in rough
  proportion to country population
• Approves budget and has co-decision on
  legislation
• Can dissolve entire Commission

12
EU Institutions

• The European Court of Justice
• Supreme court for EU matters (not criminal
  justice)
• One judge per country
• Vote by simple majority
• European Investment Bank
• Worlds largest multilateral borrower

13
Current EU Problems

• BREXIT
• Democratic Deficit
• The Danish alternative
• The failure of the Constitution
• The CAP
• Foreign and Security Policy
• Further enlargement (Turkey?)