The European Union

“Faire L’Europe C’est Faire Le Paix” Jean Monnet

Jean Monnet Robert Shuman

Europe United

The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), 1952

The European Community (EC)– Treaty of Rome (1957)

– Single European Act (1986) – common market

European Union (EU)– Maastricht treaty (1992)-monetary union

Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe (2004)

Levels of Economic Integration

Free Trade Area (FTA):– North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Customs Union:– European Community before Single European Act

– MERCOSUR

Common market:– European Community after Single European Act (1986) implemented

Economic and monetary union– European Union after Maastricht treaty (1992) implemented

European Union Enlargement

1973: Britain, Ireland, Denmark (9)

1980s: Greece, Portugal, Spain (12)

1994: Austria, Finland, and Sweden (15)

2004: 8 CEE countries, Malta, and Cyprus (25)– Bulgaria, Romania – bid for 2007 membership

– Turkey, Croatia – started membership negotiations

European Institutions(Supranational Institutions)

European Council– Heads of States

Council of Ministers– Government officials/Ministers

European Parliament– Directly elected country representatives

European Commission– 25 commissioners, civil servants

– Directorates Generals: Environment, Trade, Justice, External Relations, etc.

European Court of Justice European Central Bank

EU Legislation Case Study

Directive 2001/80/EC limiting emissions of certain air pollutants large combustion plants (SO2, NOx, dust)

European Commission– 1997 Acidification Strategy

– Proposes directive to tighten emissions for power plants

Council of Ministers and European Parliament adopt directive in 2001

European Commission monitors

ECJ: Cassis de Dijon

Germany bans import of Cassis de Dijon liqueur

German import company Rowe-Zentral AG takes case to the ECJ

Precedent for the “mutual recognition” principle

European Budget

Total (2005): 106bn Euros

Agriculture (46%):– “with the amount of EU

agricultural subsidies you can fly every EU cow across the Atlantic first class”

Regional and Structural Funds (30%)

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/europe/04/money/html/other.stm