1. EU Values By Eurogems aps

2. The Union's founding principles The Union's values and objectives Classification and exercise of competences Membership of the Union Legal acts Democratic life

3. The Institutions of the Union Institutional framework European Parliament European Council Council of Ministers Commission Minister for Foreign Affairs

4. The Union's decision-making procedures Legislative procedures Union finances and budgetary procedure New system of qualified majority voting Extension of qualified majority voting Principle of subsidiarity and role of national parliaments Principle of subsidiarity and role of national parliaments

5. The policies of the Union Internal policies and action Economic and monetary policy Justice and home affairs External action Common foreign and security policy Defence policy

6. The founding principles of the Union: Values and objectives of the Union Establishment of the Union The values of the Union The objectives of the Union The fundamental principles The symbols of the Union The fundamental rights Summary table

7. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNION In Article I-1, the Constitution established the European Union, reflecting the will of the citizens and States of Europe to build a common future. The Member States confer competences on the Union to attain objectives they have in common, and the Union coordinates the policies by which the Member States aim to achieve these objectives, and exercises on a Community basis the competences conferred on it by the Constitution.

8. THE VALUES OF THE UNION The Union is founded on the values of: – Respect for human dignity – Liberty – Democracy – Equality – Respect for human rights

9. THE VALUES OF THE UNION These values, which are set out in Article I-2, are common to the Member States. Moreover: – Pluralism – Non-discrimination – Tolerance – Justice – Solidarity – Equality between women and men

10. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION The main objectives of the Union are now to promote peace, the Union's values and the well-being of its peoples. These general objectives are supplemented by a list of more detailed objectives

11. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION an area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers ;area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers an internal market where competition is free and undistorted; sustainable development, based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy, aiming at full employment and social progress, and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment; the promotion of scientific and technological advance; the combating of social exclusion and discrimination, and the promotion of social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of the rights of the child; the promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion, and solidarity among Member States.

12. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION In addition, the Union respects cultural and linguistic diversity and ensures that Europe's cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced. the Constitution thus adds the promotion of scientific and technological advance, of solidarity between generations and of the protection of children's rights. Economic and social cohesion now additionally acquires a territorial dimension. Cultural and linguistic diversity, and the safeguarding and enhancing of Europe's cultural heritage, also become Union objectives.

13. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION peace; security; sustainable development of the Earth; solidarity and mutual respect among peoples; free and fair trade; eradication of poverty; protection of human rights (in particular the rights of the child); development of international law (respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter).

14. THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES Article I-4 of the Constitution guarantees the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the Union (the famous "four freedoms") and strictly prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality. in Article I-5, in particular the obligation to respect the national identities and the fundamental political and constitutional structures of the Member States.

15. THE SYMBOLS OF THE UNION the flag of the Union, which is a circle of twelve gold stars on a blue background; the anthem of the Union, which is based on the 'Ode to Joy' from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven; the motto of the Union, which is 'United in diversity'; the currency of the Union, which is the euro; 9 May, which is celebrated throughout the Union as Europe Day, in memory of the 1950 declaration by Robert Schuman, who initiated the European integration project.

16. European Values Study The project The European Values Study is a large-scale, cross- national, and longitudinal survey research program on basic human values, initiated by the European Value Systems Study Group (EVSSG) in the late 1970s, at that time an informal grouping of academics. Now, it is carried on in the setting of a foundation, using the (abbreviated) name of the group European Values Study (EVS).

17. EVS: Questions Do Europeans share common values? Are values changing in Europe and, if so, in what directions? Do Christian values continue to permeate European life and culture? Is a coherent alternative meaning system replacing that of Christianity? What are the implications for European unity?

18. EVS: Survey EVS SourceBook: 2001. The European Values Study: A Third Wave. Source Book of the 1999/2000 European Values Study Surveys. [compiled by] Loek Halman [in collaboration with Anthony M. Abela, Helmut Anheier and Stephen Harding and 53 others]. Tilburg: European Values Study.

19. European Values Study 1999/2000 The European Values Study (EVS) is a well- established network of social and political scientists, investigating basic values, beliefs, attitudes, priorities and preferences of the Europeans and exploring the similarities, differences, and changes in these orientations. The study is a follow-up of waves in 1981 and 1990. An important goal of the most recent wave was to examine whether the emerging concept of one common European cultural identity has an empirical basis.

20. EVS: nations envolved Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, and the Ukraine. The fieldwork was carried out in 1999 and 2000, except for Turkey, where fieldwork took place in 2001.

21. EVS: Questionnaire Representative national samples were interviewed using uniformly structured questionnaires to enable generalization and comparison in 33 European countries

22. EVS: basic questions Do Europeans share common values? Are values changing? Do Christian values continue to permeate European life and culture? Is a coherent alternative meaning system replacing that of Christianity? What are the implications for European unity?