EU Politics Midterm- Concepts to Know

State

a free-standing entity that has territory, independence, sovereignty, and legitimacy

International organization

A body that allows and encourages cooperation among states or state-based bodies, founded on voluntary cooperation, communal management, and joint decision-making, intergovermental in character

representatives make decisions to make gain for state interests

Regional integration association

An organization based on the transfer, sharing, or pooling of authority, that is administered by bodies with shared power, and that work to encourage collective action and the development of common rules and policies. Both intergovernmental and supranational in character.

pools authority, has more power than traditional IO and becomes its own association

Supranationalism

a hybrid system that contains parts of federalism and confereralism

no total authority, members still have some direct authority

the EU is a hybrid supranational entity

Realism

views integration as a gathering of sovereign states, retaining authority over their own affairs, who then transfer some authority to new cooperative bodies when it suits their interests

cooperation benefits ones own interests, can’t rely on international cooperation (anarchy)

EU: integration when it benefits the state

Neofuncitionalism

cooperation by technical experts and how incremental cooperation through functionally specific organizations between states (spillover effects)

more integration over time

once institution is created, it leads to integration by necessity

Intergovernmentalism

critiques neofunctionalism and emphasizes state sovereignty and national interest in determining the extent of integration

it will occur in spurts, when it is condusive to state interests (periods of rapid and slow occurrences)

Marshall Plan

June 1947

Main economic plan to fund and rebuild Europe after the war, US was a creditor

requested Europe to make a system to delegate funds, not US dictating them led to forced cooperation between states

Organization for European Economic Cooperation

forced by the Marshall Plan, helped delegate funds from the plan to states for rebuilding

Council of Europe

meeting of major countries for diplomcy in everything; trying to solve problems before they start

Schuman Declaration

1950

Aimed to mark the birth of europe as a political entity and make war between states impossible through economic integrtion

create single market across the Community

more economically oriented, not defense (to get FR on board)

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

Signing of Treaty of Paris (1951, enforced in 52)

laid out a plan for a European Community to pool the coal and steel of its members in a common market

Established the High Authority, Common Assembly (Parliament), Special Council of Ministers (Council of EU), and Court of Justice

Treaty of Rome year

1957

Treaty of Rome

created the EAEC and EEC

European Economic Community

common market/customs

removal of internal trade restrictions

4 freedoms: free movement of goods, services, people, and capital

European Atomic Energy Community

created in Treaty of Rome (1957) to create peaceful nuclear research and standards

Single European Act year

1986

Single European Act

creation of single market, objectives for the future, establishment of EU and single monetary currency by 1992

outlines need to remove all trade barriers, harmonize standards, and remove barriers to movement of people

allows banks and companies to do business throughout the EC, EC residents can live work and draw pensions anywhere in EC

Treaty on European Union/Maastricht Treaty year

1992

Treaty on European Union/Maastricht Treaty

Formalizes EU, no longer EC or European market

3 pillars: European Community, Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Justice and Home Affairs

agrees to implement currency by 1999

sets up European citizenship with passport

*Denmark gets permanent opt out of the Euro in order to pass treaty

Treaty of Amsterdam year

1997 Tr

Treaty of Amsterdam

Schengen cooperation incorporated into the EU; UK and Ireland receive opt out provisions

Creates position of High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy (secretary of state, lead diplomat to represent the EU)

Attempts to deal with issues on social policy, immigration, asylum, the environment, and consumer protection

Treaty of Nice year

2003

Treaty of Nice

introduced institutional reforms

created yellow card procedure for members at risk of breaching principles of EU

Constitutional Treaty year

2004

Constitutional Treaty

streamline everything into one clear document to fight bureaucracy, consolidate into one framework, provide legislative procedure clarity, citizens can put forth their own initiatives

Includes the Charter for Fundamental Rights (human rights expectations, all EU citizens have guaranteed rights)

Treaty of Lisbon year

2007

Treaty of Lisbon

aims to improve institutional efficiency

expands power of EP

provides EU with international legal status

makes Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding on members

stipulates that the powers of the EU are conferred by the member states, who have the rights of action, consultation, recognition, support, and secession

political integration

integration as the result of a shift of loyalties, expectations, and political activities to a new center

spillover hypothesis

how cooperation in one area forces integration and cooperation in multiple other areas

functional spillover

everything must be regulated to be sold equally in every member state, leads to economic integration which then leads to political spillover

political spillover

shifts of loyalty, politicians see benefit of a supranational entity like the EU

cultivated spillover

institutions have agendas, mandates, and compliance; they use their influence to push agreement and integration

package deals

political mechanism to resolve disagreements and unlock deeper levels of integration through cooperation (ex. conceding something to gain something else)

elite socialization hypothesis

frequent contact with other elites

the individual comes to value the system and their role within the system, shifts loyalty to European supranational interests rather than specific member interests

frequent contact leads to integration

supranational interest group hypothesis

as economic and political integration increases, national interest groups will reorganize activities at the supranational level in order to influence

social spillover

the process where government elites interact, build trust, and become socialized with one another through regionalized institutions, shifting their cooperation into broader social and political spheres

sovereignty - intergovernmentalist specific

EU member states engage in integration without ceding their sovereignty

states use delegation to transfer sovereignty to the supranational level in order to achieve national interests

delegation

delegating power to supranational institution but keeping national interests

classical intergovernmentalism

emphasizes the context in which states made decisions to cooperate; integration doesn’t just come from spillover

highlights the difference between high and low politics

blurring of boundaries and IOs does not mean an end to national sovereignty

empty-chair crisis

1966

symbol of intergovernmentalism critique of neofunctionalism

French de Gaulle boycotted EEC on the basis of national interests

luxembourg compromise

reassured national power by installing a veto by claiming national interest is more important than the EEC

domestic politics approach

draws attention to the interaction of domestic politics and EC policymaking; examines domestic determinants of preference formation by using past case studies

fusion hypothesis

states, while originally joining to align with national interests, are locked in the European integration process

states lose the ability to act autonomously; state accountability is blurred

divergent interests lead to suboptimal decision making at the supranational level

liberal intergovernmentalism

states act rationally to according to their preferences and power

3 things show demand for cooperation:

1. national interest

2. relative power

3. credible commitments