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The EU

The EU. 4 September 2013 by Sigrid Brevik Wangsness. Why the European Union? Origin of the EU. Europe – a divided and unstable continent The dream of uniting Europe After the immense sufferings and destructions of two world wars: - How to build peace in Europe?

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The EU

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  1. The EU 4 September 2013 by Sigrid Brevik Wangsness

  2. Why the European Union? Origin of the EU • Europe – a divided and unstable continent • The dream of uniting Europe • After the immense sufferings and destructions of two world wars: - How to build peace in Europe? - How to create European unity?

  3. Origin of the EU • Winston Churchill’s vision (1946): Creation of a “United States of Europe” with reconciliation between France and Germany as the first step. • Founding fathers of the EU: Robert Schuman (France), Konrad Adenauer (Germany) and Alcide De Gasperi (Italy)

  4. Parallel Developments • Other organizations promoting European unity were also established in the early post-war years: • The Organization for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC, later OECD) • The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) • The Council of Europe

  5. Forerunner of the EU • 1951: The European Coal and Steel Community (The Treaty of Paris). France, Germany, Italy and the BeNeLux countries. • Britain declined. Why?

  6. 1957: The EEC The EuropeanEconomic Community (The Treaty of Rome). Six member states. The EEC was : • a customs union • a common market (a Common External Tariff) • had common policies on trade, agriculture, transport

  7. The EEC • aimed for coordinated economic / monetary policies (1979 the ERM = the Exchange Rate Mechanism) = increased economic integration in Europe • Moreover, even at this early stage it was stated that the ultimate goal was political unity

  8. The EEC - EC - EU • 1987: Name change to the EC = The European Community • 1992: Name change to the EU = The European Union

  9. Development of the EU • 1993: The Single Market Free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital • 1998: A European Central Bank (ECB) • 1999: European Economic and Monetary Union(EMU): A single currency = the euro

  10. The European Central Bank • The current President of the ECB is Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy • The ECB is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany

  11. Development of the EU • 2002: Euro coins and notes • 2004-2007: Expansion of the EU to 27 member states • 2007: The European Union Reform Treaty (The Lisbon Treaty = its new constitutional treaty) • 2011: Estonia became the 17th nation to adopt the euro • 2013: Croatia: The 28th EU member state

  12. EU Institutions • Organizational structure - a federation? • Explain the concept “pooling of sovereignty”. • We often divide the major institutions of the EU into two groups – which? • Explain the role of the European Council as compared to the “institutional triangle”.

  13. The European Council • The President of the European Council (sometimes referred to as the President of the EU) is Herman van Rompuy • A principal representative of the EU on the world stage • Heads of State • General policies, guidelines, priorities

  14. EU Institutions • Explain the separation of power between • the European Parliament • the Council of the EU • the European Commission • Explain the concept of “co-decision” • What two other institutions are essential for the EU’s activities?

  15. The European Parliament • How many MEPs are there today? • The President of the EP is Martin Schulz. • What are the three main roles of the EP? • How influential is the European Parliament?

  16. The Council of the European Union • Who are the members of the Council? • Explain the system of “the rotating EU presidency”. • What is the “Trio Presidency”? • What are the major tasks of the Council? • The High Representative

  17. The European Commission • How many members does the Commission have? • The President of the Commission is José Manuel Barroso. • What are the main functions of the Commission? • How do the Commission and the Council differ?

  18. Discussion: The Future of the EU? • What are the main challenges and dilemmas of the EU today? • Is the euro worth saving? What would be the costs of a break-up of the euro? • What are your views regarding the future of the EU?

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