1. Uniting Europe: Origins of the EU

2. Europe today: Organized in different structures – –European Union (EU) –Council of Europe –NATO… EU is not a state, but –A multilevel system of governance –15 member-states pool sovereignty in certain areas –In process of adopting a constitution –To expand to 25 member-states on April 1, 2004

3. The EU today Not a full service government: Has common currency (or nearly so) Framework of regulations governing –trade –single market, competition –agriculture –regional development –environment –occupational health and safety Attempts (not always successfully) to speak with one voice on foreign policy Attempts at cooperation on policing, justice, home affairs, maintenance of external borders

4. Ongoing disagreements about what the EU should become A federation with more powers transferred to a central government in Brussels (“Ever closer union”) accountable to European people Primarily an economic association focussed on maintaining a single market, governed by sovereign member-states Some combination of the two

5. Origins Product of postwar reconstruction EU originates as an elite project –Devised by Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman –Propose establishment of European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) –Bring together France and Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg –Hope that cooperation in one policy will lead to cooperation in other areas

6. Development ECSC established in 1951 –Attempts establish European Defence Community (fails) Two additional communities established in 1957 –European Economic Community (Common Market) –EURATOM (focussed on atomic energy) European Communities merge to form EC, European Community (with common institutions)

7. Successive enlargements: Core EU: “ the six” Britain, Ireland and Denmark join in 1973 Greece, Spain and Portugal in the 1980s Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995 10 Central and Eastern European countries to join in 2004 –Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia –Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Baltic States

8. Deepening Europe: Common Market – aim – a common market for goods, services, labour European Parliament – direct election from 1979 Single European Act (SEA) 1987 – –effort to complete single market –response to growing international competition –Provision for qualified majority voting (QMV)

9. Treaty on European Union, 1991 (Maastricht Treaty) Creates European Union, encompassing EC as well as new activities or pillars –Common foreign and security policy –Justice and Home Affairs Extends qualified majority voting in EC Increases powers of European Parliament Plans for monetary union and single currency Subsidiarity – decisions to be made at lowest possible level

10. Further steps: Amsterdam Treaty (1997) –Further extension of qualified majority voting –Increased power of European parliament Nice Treaty (2000) –New scheme of weighted voting European Constitutional Convention – –Proposing single constitution to replace treaties

11. Governing the EU The European Commission –Independent executive – power to propose laws See that they are executed by member-states Council of Ministers: –Represents member-states, with votes weighted according to population European Parliament –Directly elected by proportional representation European Council –Biannual meeting of heads of government European Court of Justice

12. European conundrums: How much power should the EU have? Should the EU be controlled by its member-states? –What influence can individual states have in an EU of 25 member-states? –What influence can smaller states have? How can the EU be more accountable to European citizens? Is there a European public?