INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN POLITICS Dr Simona Guerra

EU INSTITUTIONS  WHAT (The Council of Minister, The European Parliament, The European Commission; and The Economic and Social Committee, The Committee of the Regions and Local Authorities, The European Court of Justice, The Court of Auditors )  WHY (Although EU MSs hold most of the decision making power, the EU institutions can be compared with their governing bodies, and we can study the EU ‘executive’, ‘legislative’ and ‘judicial’ functions)  HOW (Treaties & Theories; Unanimity/QMV; Consultation/Co- operation/Co-Decision)  WHEN (Standstills and developments; Where next)

THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS  Key decision making branch; coordination of key EU policies  Meeting place of national interests? – compromise, bargaining and diplomacy  Representatives of the EU MSs, COREPER, presidency for a six-month period rotating on a fixed rota  European Council: meeting of the HoSs of the MSs (relaunching of Europe, The Hague, 1969) (McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: and ) Meeting of European Union Ministers. © Gryffindor © Gryffindor and released into the public domainreleased into the public domain meeting_Bremen_March_2007_003.jpg

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT  Junior (and most democratic) EU institution? (single chamber, 785 MEPs, President in office for half of the legislature, two-and-a-half year – renewable, role of the committees)  ‘Unlike conventional legislatures’ ‘it cannot introduce laws or raise revenues’ (EC) (but ‘budgetary authority’, supervisory powers over the EU institutions, vote on the college of Commissioners) Hans-Gert Poettering. © Image by א (Aleph) Gert_Poettering_(2007).jpg Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ‘Shares the power of amendment and decision with the Council of Minister’ (increasing powers from consultation procedure – Rome, to cooperation procedure – SEA, and codecision procedure – Maastricht) Is there a democratic deficit? (wk11) 41 European United Left – Nordic Green Left Social Group 215 Greens/European Free Aliance 43 Independence/ Demoncracy 44 Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe 101 European People’s Party (Christian Demoncrats) and European Democrats Union for Europe of the Nations 44 Non-attached Members and temporarily empty seats 29 Situation in March 2008 Political Groups in the European Parliament (McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: and ) © Glentamara Parliament_political_groups_2_March_2008.svg Released into public domainpublic domain

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Executive-bureaucratic arm (27 members, five-year term, cabinets)  Overseeing the execution of laws and policies (harmonisation of laws, regulation and standards; ‘big, expensive and powerful’?; regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Core of EU integration, but reduced autonomy (EP)? (McCormick 2008: 69-93; Bache and George 2006: and )

THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE  The ECJ meets in Luxembourg.  The ECJ comprises 27 judges and 8 Advocates General.  ‘The Judges and Advocates General are appointed by common accord by the governments of the MSs for a renewable term of 6 years’. Courtroom at the European Court of Justice © Stefan64Stefan64 Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported LicenceCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence

THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE  They ‘are chosen from among lawyers whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the qualifications required for appointment, in their respective countries, to the highest judicial offices, …’.  The ECJ ensures that ‘the law is observed in the interpretation of the Treaties … and the provisions …’  Driver of integration? (Neofunct. vs. IG) (Bache and George 2006: )

HOW (2002/358/EC: Council Decision of 25 April 2002 concerning the approval … of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change …)  ‘The Commission is formally the sole institution with the right to propose legislation’  Increasing democratic legitimacy of the EP (and TEU IG pillars)  Council (unanimously) can amend the proposal (Bache and George 2006: )

HOW  Consultation (Commission to the Council; EP’s opinion; still agr.; policy sectors such as asylum, immigration, visas)  Co-operation (SEA, EP’s second reading, proposing amendments – QMV, ‘common position’)  Co-Decision (Treaty of Amsterdam) (Bache and George 2006: )

HOW  Co-Decision - First stages as in the Co-operation procedure, up to the ‘common position’ If the EP rejects the ‘common position’/Council does not approve the EP’s amendments: a Conciliation Committee (reps of the Council and EP, EC as facilitator) is set up – ‘mutually acceptable compromise text’ (6 wks, QMV for the Council and simple majority voting for the EP) If agreed – EP and Council have 6 wks to adopt it ( Council by qualified majority, EP absolute majority) If ‘either institution fails to adopt the text’ – the proposal ‘is dead’ (Bache and George 2006: ; Hix 2005: )

HOW AND WHEN: TREATIES &  Founding Treaties (Paris and Rome) - EC, Council and EP, and consultative committees: ESC  Single European Act (SEA) (1986, 1987) - Council – legal recognition, extended QMV (internal market), EP (co-operation, assent procedure) / Internal market; new policy ares to the EEC Treaty, EPC – legal recognition)  Treaty of the European Union (TEU) (Maastricht) (1992, 1993) - Three pillars (EC pillar + 2 UG pillars) (consultative committes: + CoR) EP (co-decision) / EMU – timetable, pillars two and three – CFSP and JHA, new policy areas to the EEC Treaty)

HOW AND WHEN: TREATIES &  Treaty of Amsterdam (1997, 1999) - Council - Extended legal base of QMV, EP (extended co-decision), created enhanced cooperation procedure / CFPS strengthened, much of JHA to EC pillar, new policy areas to EC pillar  Treaty of Nice (2001, 2003) - Change of nat. reps in the institutions+Council: QMV system, extended legal base of QMV, EP: small extension of co-decision, easier application of cooperation procedure / marginal (JHA, EC) (Bache and George 2006: ; Nugent 2006: )

HOW AND WHEN: & THEORIES  Neofunctionalism: concept of spillover Political spillover: European Commission as ‘the motor role’ mid- 1980s, extended QMC in the Council, ECJ Also, the EU as ‘a series of different regimes’ (transnational actors)  Intergovernmentalism: IR realist tradition Council: national gov’ts are channelled by the Council, but simply ‘forum of hard bargaining’ The European Commission (and other transnational actors) simply respond to an agenda set by the govt’s (LIG, Moravcsik 1995) Debate on the nature of the EU (supranational or intergovernmental) and role of the European Commission (‘Servant’ or ‘Autonomous Actor’) and Council? ( Bache and George 2006: , Nugent 2006: )

WHERE NEXT EU 27 and The Treaty of Lisbon (wk 11)  Rules on the QMV; Presidency (Council)  Size of the European Commission (2/3 MSs) and its appointment (majority vote of the Council, formally appointed by the EP)  Extended enhanced co-operation (QMV – 55% MSs, 65% pop., and 35% pop. as block min.)  Extended co-decision (EP) – (enhanced coop. requires EP’s approval)  National Parliaments  Police and Judicial Co-operation Pillar (ceased to be an IG pillar) ( Bache and George 2006:

NEXT WEEK From the history and theories, institutions and policy-making to:  Policy-making process:  Internal policies (CAP and Regional Policy, EMU and Social Policy)  External policies (CFSP and Commercial policy, Enlargement)