1. COMENIUS PROJECT Building the future on the foundations of the past : comparing local architecture EUROPEAN UNION HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND MORE

2. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY

3. 2007-01-01, EU ENLARGEMENT Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU Now the EU includes 27 countries

4. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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 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.

5. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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

6. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY Destruction of World War II, 1950-05-09 “Europe Day”, Schuman (Fr.) proposed an organized Europe to maintain peace. „EUROPE DAY” (1950)

7. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY 6 members: Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy, and the Netherlands

8. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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

9. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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,

10. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY ENLARGEMENT (1973 - 1995) 1973 - Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom 1981 - Greece 1986 - Spain and Portugal 1995 - Austria, Finland, and Sweden

11. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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

12. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY SINGLE MARKET free movement of –goods –services –people –and capital formally completed by January 1, 1993 passport and customs checks were abolished at most of the internal borders

13. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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

14. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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

15. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY

16. INTRODUCTION OF THE EURO 2002-01-01

17. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY 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 Ten countries joined the EU in 2004

18. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY EU ENLARGEMENT 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

19. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY

20. 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

21. ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ NR 5 TYCHY OTHER PROBLEMS Few people identify themselves first as European. Key EU organizations are still superficial Democratic deficit Lack of common language