Introduction to the European Union

1. Introduction to the European Union Joe Jupille Colorado European Union Center of Excellence University of Colorado at Boulder National Council for the Social Studies Denver, CO November 13, 2010 Edited in 2013 to reflect the accession of Croatia.

2. “Nothing is possible without men; nothing is lasting without institutions” – Jean Monnet “To understand the Europe you have to be a genius … or French” – Madeline Albright

3. Treaties Paris 1952 (ECSC) Rome 1958 (EEC) SEA 1987 Maastricht 1993 (EU) Am'dam 1999 Nice 2003 Lisbon 2009 Historical Development:Treaties and Members 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 "The Six": 1952, 1958 "Big 3 & Small 3" France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg EC 10 & 12: 1981 & 86 "Southern 3" Greece (1981) Spain & Portugal (1986) EU25: 2004 “Big Bang” Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia, Slovenia EC 9: 1973 "Northern 3" Ireland, Denmark, United Kingdom EU15: 1995 “Easy 3" Austria, Finland, Sweden EU27: 2007 Romania, Bulgaria EU28: 2013 Croatia Member States

4. Growth of EU Policy Competence

5. European Union Basics, 2010 28 Member States 500+ million Combined population of EU Member States 7 Percent of world’s population 30 Percent of global GDP *Countries shaded gray are candidates for EU membership Percent of combined worldwide Official Development Assistance 56

6. EU Basics, 2010:Policy Competence

7. EU Institutions European Council (Summit) Council of the EU European Commission European Parliament Court of Justice Court of Auditors Committee of the Regions Economic and Social Committee European Investment Bank European Central Bank Agencies

8. Summit of the European Council • Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries • Heldat least 4 times a year • Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies • President: Herman Van Rompuy

9. European Commission • 28 Commissioners, each responsible for specific policy areas, representing the common European perspective. • Proposes legislation and enforces laws. • Negotiates trade agreements. • Manages Europe’s multilateral development cooperation. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso

10. Council of the European Union • EU’s main decision-making body, comprised of ministers of 28 Member States, representing each Member State’s point of view. • Decides on foreign policy issues. • Council presidency rotates among Member States every six months.

11. Council of the European Unionvoice of the member states • One minister from each EU country • Presidency: rotates every six months • Decides EU laws and budget together with Parliament • Manages the common foreign and security policy

12. Council of the European Union number of votes per country Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom 29 Spain and Poland 27 Romania 14 Netherlands 13 Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal 12 Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden 10 Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland 7 Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia 4 Malta 3 Total: 352 “Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:260 votes and a majority of member states From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population

13. European Parliament • Voice of European citizens. • Members elected for five-year terms. • With the Council, passes EU laws and adopts EU budgets. • Approves EU Commissioners.

14. The European Political Parties Number of seats in the European Parliament per political group (January 2010) Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe 84 European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) 265 Greens/European Free Alliance 55 Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Socialists and Democrats Democrats 184 European Conservatives and Reformists 54 Europe of Freedom and Democracy 32 European United Left - Nordic Green Left 35 Total : 736 Non-attached members 27

15. European Court of Justice • Highest EU judicial authority. • Ensures all EU laws are interpreted and applied correctly and uniformly. • Can act as an independent policy maker but unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, the ECJ can only deal with matters covered by the Treaties.

16. Legislation: Three key players The Eu ropean ParliamentVoice of the people The Council of the European Union Voice of the Member States The European Commission Promoting the common interest

17. Legislative Process Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult Commission: makes formal proposal Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly National or local authorities: implement Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation

18. The Politics of EU Institutions • Following Monnet, the EU has always had an “institutionalizing reflex”: when in doubt, create a rule/institution. • These politics of institution-building distinguish the EU from its national counterparts in the developed world. • This is also partly why the EU is so messy, complex, and hard for Americans (and other non-French) to understand.

19. The Frustrations … • All of this messiness strikes most Americans as inefficient , confusing, somewhat pointless. • It can indeed be maddening to even comprehend the EU, with its arcane debates and constantly shifting institutional arrangements, let alone engage with it.

20. … and the Need • Yet, this sometimes inward-looking, institutionally-oriented nature of EU politics isn’t pointless; working out and through all of this is part of the process of mutual adjustment required when 28 states pool their sovereignty. • Messy complexity is in the EU’s genetic makeup and it is not going to change. Indeed, things may get worse in this respect (e.g., because of the addition of new members) before they get better.

21. Conclusion • EU Politics is messy and complex, due to its size and crowded agenda, but also due to the “institutional reflex” first instilled by Monnet. • Yet, as we know, and as other panelists and panels will discuss, the EU is an indispensible partner for the US. • We have to learn to live with, if not love, the European Union.

22. Resources: To Learn More • European Union Delegation to the United States of America: http://www.eurunion.org/eu/ • Its Education Resources and Teachers’ Corner pages offer a rich range of materials for use in your classrooms. • Network of European Union Centers of Excellence in the United States: http://euce.org/ • Its Education page offers a tremendous range of K-12 content, including wonderful lesson plans.