1. An emerging political system?
European Union
An emerging political system?

2. 2007-01-01, EU enlargement Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU
Now the EU includes 27 countries

3. Comparison: EU vs. US Land area Population
European Union is less than half the size of the United States
Population
European Union has 516 million residents
GDP (purchasing power parity)
US$13 trillion
EU exports more but imports less than US

4. European Union A family of democratic European countries
not a State intended to replace existing state
more than any other international organization
Member states
set up common institutions
delegate some of their sovereignty

5. European Union More than an economic organization or trading bloc
Three pillars (or spheres) of activities
trade and economic matters
justice and home affairs
foreign and security policy
most controversial aspect of EU today

6. Outline How and why did the EU emerge?
What are its main decision-making bodies?
Progress of European integration
bursts of growth
broadening (add new members)
deepening (add new powers)
stagnation, doubts, and criticisms

7. “Europe Day” (1950) Destruction of World War II
Schuman (Fr.) proposed an organized Europe to maintain peace

8. ECSC (1951) European Coal and Steel Community
6 members: Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and the Netherlands

9. European Economic Community
Same 6 countries as in ECSC
Treaties of Rome (1957)
European Atomic Energy Community
European Economic Community
remove trade barriers
form common market

10. Merge of 3 communities (1967)
1967, executives of ECSC, EURATOM, and EEC were merged
one single Commission
one single Council of Ministers
European Parliament
members chosen by national parliaments
directly elected every 5 years since 1979

11. Enlargement ( )
1973
Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom
1981
Greece
1986
Spain and Portugal
1995
Austria, Finland, and Sweden

12. Creation of European Union
Treaty on European Union was signed in Maastricht in 1992
add to the existing “Community” system
inter-government cooperation between member states
justice and home affairs
foreign and security policy

13. Single Market free movement of formally completed by January 1, 1993
goods
services
people
and capital
formally completed by January 1, 1993
passport and customs checks were abolished at most of the internal borders

14. Single Currency Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
exchange rate stability
interest rates, the budget deficit, the inflation rate, and the debt-to-GDP ratio
When the euro was launched in 1999, the European Central Bank (ECB) took over full responsibility for monetary policy throughout the euro area

15. Monetary Union: Stage III
European Central Bank be set up
exchange rates between participating currencies be fixed once and for all
single currency be introduced for the administrations and the banks
coins and notes of the single currency be in circulation on January 1, 2002 at the latest

18. Introduction of the Euro

19. EU enlargement
Three main criteria that countries have to meet before being eligible to begin negotiations to join the EU (1997)
establishment of a functioning and stable democratic regime
market-oriented capitalist economy
acceptance of the 80,000 pages of laws and regulations already on the EU’s books

20. EU enlargement Ten countries joined the EU in 2004
former communist countries
Poland, Hungry, Czech, Slovakia, & Slovenia
former Soviet republics
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Mediterranean islands
Cyprus and Malta
Two countries joined the EU in 2007

22. EU applicant countries
Two candidate countries
Turkey and Croatia
Entry negotiations formally began in 2005
An application for membership submitted by Macedonia was formally accepted by EU leaders in 2005
The EU is now looking at further enlargements in the Western Balkans

24. Other problems Few people identify themselves first as European.
Key EU organizations are still superficial
Democratic deficit
Lack of common language