Post on 26-Mar-2015
The European Union
Facts
• Supranational organization = transcends national borders
• 27 members• Single currency = Euro
The European Union: 493 million people – 27 countries
Member states of the European Union
Candidate countries
23 official languages
History
1952The European Steel and Coal Community
1958The treaties of Rome:
The European Economic CommunityThe European Atomic Energy Community
(EURATOM)
1987The European Single Act: the
Single Market
1993Treaty of European Union
– Maastricht1999
Treaty of Amsterdam 2003
Treaty of Nice
2007Treaty of Lisbon (signed)
Three pillars
The European Union
The Treaties
European Community
common policies
Common foreign and
security policy
Police and judicial
cooperation in criminal
matters
The big enlargement: healing the division of Europe
Fall of Berlin Wall – end of CommunismEU economic help begins: Phare programme
Criteria set for a country to join the EU:• democracy and rule of law• functioning market economy• ability to implement EU laws
Formal negotiations on enlargement begin
Copenhagen summit agrees enlargement
10 new EU members: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia
1989
1992
1998
2002 2004
2007 Bulgaria and Romania join the EU
CandidatesCroatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey
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Eight enlargements
1952 1973 1981 1986
1990 1995 2004 2007
The euro – a single currency for Europeans
EU countries using the euroEU countries not using the euro
Can be used everywhere in the euro area
Coins: one side with national symbols, one side common Notes: no national side
Beating inflationEuropean Economic and Monetary Union: stable prices
Average annual inflation in the 15 EU-countries that used the euro in 2008
EU’s Democratic Deficit
• Democratic deficit = lack of its accountability to the average citizen in member states– most decision making in EU is done by nonelected
officials
• EU challenges the sovereignty of member states because decisions are made by the EU instead of solely by national governments
Issues currently facing EU
• Trade disputes with nonmember countries• Discrepancy in economic power between
member states• Pressure form nonmember states to join EU• Challenges to EU’s authority by nationalist
sentiment within member states – “Euroskeptics”
Arguments for EU Enlargement
• Larger EU will have more weight in trade negotiations with rest of the world
• Cheaper labor in new EU states will attract businesses from other countries
• Promote political stability in new member states
• Larger EU provides new and diverse markets for all EU members
EU population in the worldPopulation in millions, 2007
497
1322
128 142
301
EU China Japan Russia United States
Surface area, 1 000 km²
EU China Japan Russia United States
16 889
9327 9159
4234
365
How rich is the EU compared to the rest
of the world?
EU China Japan Russia United States EU China Japan Russia United States
10 793
1 326
3676
468
10 035
24 700
6 400
27 800
10 000
37 300
Size of economy: Gross Domestic Product inbillion of euros, 2006
Wealth per person: Gross Domestic Productper person in Purchasing Power Standard, 2007
How many people live in the EU? Population in millions, 2007
497 million82
.4
63.4
60.9
59.1
44.5
38.2
21.6
16.3
11.2
10.6
10.5
10.3
10.1
9.0
8.3
7.7
5.4
5.4
5.3
4.3
3.4
2.3
2.0
1.3
0.8
0.5
0.4
Fran
ce
Spai
n
Swed
en
Pola
nd
Finl
and
Ital
y
Uni
ted
King
dom
Rom
ania
Gre
ece
Bulg
aria
Hun
gary
Port
ugal
Aust
ria
Czec
h Re
publ
ic
Irel
and
Lith
uani
a Latv
ia
Slov
akia
Esto
nia
Den
mar
k
Net
herla
nds
Belg
ium
Slov
enia
Cypr
us
Luxe
mbu
rg
Mal
taGer
man
y
GDP per inhabitant: the spread of wealth
GDP per inhabitants in Purchasing Power Standards, 2007
Index where the average of the 27 EU-countries is 100
280
144131 129 127 123 121 118 117 113 113
104 102 10094 89 87
79 77 7567 66 63 58 56 53
38 37
Luxe
mbo
urg
Irel
and
Net
herla
nds
Aust
ria
Den
mar
k
Belg
ium
Swed
en
Uni
ted
King
dom
Finl
and
Ger
man
y
Fran
ce
Ital
y
Spai
n
EU-2
7
Cypr
us
Gre
ece
Slov
enia
Czec
h Re
publ
ic
Mal
ta
Port
ugal
Esto
nia
Hun
gary
Slov
akia
Lith
uani
a
Latv
ia
Pola
nd
Rom
ania
Bulg
aria
How is the EU’s money spent?
Total EU budget 2008: 129.1 billion euro
= 1.03% of Gross National Income
Citizens, freedom,security and justice
1%
Other, administration6%
Sustainable growth:new jobs, cohesion,
research45%
The EU as a global player:including development aid
6%
Natural resources:agriculture,
environment43%
European Parliament
The EU institutions
Court of Justice
Court of Auditors Economic and Social Committee Committee of the Regions
Council of Ministers(Council of the EU) European Commission
European Investment Bank European Central BankAgencies
European Council (summit)
How EU laws are made
Citizens, interests groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation
National or local authorities: implement
United Kingdom
The European Parliament – voice of the people
13
24
78
78
14
Italy
Ireland
24Hungary
Greece
99Germany
France
Finland
6Estonia
14Denmark
24Czech Republic
6Cyprus
18Bulgaria
24Belgium
18Austria
Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of MinistersDemocratic supervision of all the EU’s work
Total 785
78
19Sweden
54Spain
7Slovenia
14Slovakia
35Romania
24Portugal
54Poland
27Netherlands
5Malta
6Luxembourg
13Lithuania
9Latvia
Number of members elected in each country
The European political partiesNumber of seats in the European Parliament
per political group
European UnitedLeft - Nordic Green Left41
Socialist Group215
Greens/EuropeanFree Alliance43
Independence/Democracy24
Alliance of Liberals andDemocrats for Europe101 European People’s Party
(Christian Democrats)and European Democrats288
Union for Europeof the Nations44
Non-attached members andtemporarily empty seats29
Total : 785