What does the future hold for Europe? Unification?Unification? Instability?Instability? Europe’s Modern Transformation
Supranationalism and Devolution
Contradiction Devolution- regions within a state demand political strength and autonomy at the expense of the central government Supranationalism three or more states combine for political, cultural, or cultural cooperation
Devolution in Europe Scotland Northern Ireland Wales Flemish/French Kaliningrad Polish in Belarus Basques Catalonia S. Tyrol Corsica Sardinia Yugoslavia
Early European Supranationalism Outgrowth of the World War II Benelux Marshall Plan Organization of European Economic Cooperation 1949 Council of Europe
European Supranationalism Why would anyone want to give away international autonomy, one of the most sought after goals of the past century? 1944 Benelux Agreement NetherlandsNetherlands BelgiumBelgium LuxembourgLuxembourg
History of European Supranationlism 1947 – MARSHALL PLAN Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) Council of Europe ECSC Treaty of Rome EEC effective EFTA signed EEC-ESC-EURATOM EEC
Primary function of the OEEC: To accept and distribute funds allocated under the Marshall Plan 13 Billion $ from U.S. to help rebuild European countries rebuild European countries Marshall Plan
European Iron and Steel Community-1951 France, Italy, Germany, and Benelux shared: iron scrap coal finished goods To maintain peace in Europe To present a united front against communism Out-of-date steel plants closed
Common Market Objective - a single market in which the following flow freely: goods and services labor markets capital Founders determined that Europe would never go to war again
1973 European Community - 9 Nations France Germany Italy Benelux United Kingdom Ireland Denmark
1979 European Parliament 410 directly elected representatives (MEPs) Parliament meets in Strasbourg New nations joined 1981 Greece 1986 Spain and Portugal 1990 E. Germany 15 Nations
1991 Maastricht Treaty Set goals and 279 directives for 15 nations Social Compact Environment Research Agriculture Regional Development Banking Foreign Policy
Common Agricultural Policy Huge subsidies to agriculture absorb 50% budget Inadequate controls lead to corruption Surpluses sold at a loss
European Monetary and Economic Union Euro - a single European currency by Jan 1, 1999 By 2002 European notes and coins Complements European market with its free movement of: people goods and services capital
Development Areas Under the Structural Funds there are 3 Objectives: Objective 1: promoting the development of regions whose development is lagging behind; Objective 2: supporting the economic and social conversion of areas facing industrial decline Objective 3: supporting the adaptation and modernisation of policies and systems of education, training and employment.
Special Problem Areas Political Asylum Non EU Migrant workers Terrorists Guns, drugs, rabies, Fear of Germany Unemployment
Development Areas
GNI per capita
What Does EU Mean to Citizens? European citizenship and passport Freedom of movement to live, study, and work Cleaner air, water, and beaches Better health and safety at work Funds programs for elderly, poor, and disabled
Foreign Policy Ideal - a common foreign policy Reality Persian Gulf Bosnia Iraq
€ 2002 Euro Currency 2002 Euro replaces national currency in most EU nations Denmark, Sweden, and UK opt out of Euro
2004 Historic Expansion 10 New nations join the European Union Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus
Potential Members Other Eastern European nations anxious to join to strengthen their weak economies to safeguard fragile democracies Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007
EU MembersEU Members Non-membersNon-members Prospective MembersProspective Members European Supranationalism