The EU

When was the European Coal and Steel Community established?

1952

When was the European Economic Community established?

1957

What are the 4 freedoms of the EU?

Goods, capital, workers and services

When were the 4 freedoms outlined?

In the 1957 Treaty of Rome

What is integration?

The process of coordinating the activities of different states through common institutions and policies

What was the result of the 2016 EU referendum?

52% leave, 48% remain

What does supranational mean?

Having authority independent of national governments

What is enlargement?

The expansion of the EU to include new member states

What is the EMU

The economic and monetary union. The creation of a single currency, bank and common monetary policy

What is qualified majority voting?

A voting arrangement in which proposals must win a set number of votes (over 65% of the EU population) to be approved. A blocking minority must consist of over 55%

What did qualified majority voting replace on single market legislation?

Unanimity

What is unanimity?

A voting arrangement in which all states must be in agreement for a proposal to be passed

What are the aims of the EU?

- Promoting peace and the EU's values
- Establishing a single European market
- Promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion
- Establishing an economic and monetary union
- Establishing an area of freedom., security and justice without internal frontiers
- Combating discrimination and promoting equality

What is a Eurosceptic?

Someone who is critical of the extension of supranational authority in the EU and hostile to further integration

Describe the single market of the EU

- 500 million consumers
- Largest in the world
- Has promoted trade, investment and prosperity

Has the EU achieved its aims?
- yes

- Has promoted and extended the rights of workers
- Has extended citizen's rights, through the right to live and work in another EU state
- Economic and monetary union has eliminated transaction costs within the Eurozone
- Increasing political union has delivered coordinated action on cross-border issues such as criminal justice and immigrants

What has the EU done to democracy?

It has cemented it

Has the EU achieved its aims?
- No

- Single market is incomplete and over-regulated
- Economic growth in the EU is weak and inequality is growing
- Economic and monetary union has experienced significant difficulty, with less prosperous states having to introduce austerity measures
- It has not been able to resolve major challenges such as the migration crisis

What is the European Commission?

Described as the executive body of the EU. It implements the EU's decisions and politics, but it also has other broad functions, including the power to initiate legislation

What does the European Commission do?

- Has the sole right to initiate draft legislation in most areas of EU activity
- Executes EU legislation and ensures it is applied correctly
- Administers EU expenditure and collects revenue
- Represents the EU on the world stage, notable in trade negotiations

What is the Council of the European Union?

Main decision making body of the EU. It is where 28 government ministers from the member states take key decisions on EU legislation

What does the Council of the EU do?

- Shares legislative power with the European Parliament
- Coordinates the economic policies of member states
- Develops the common foreign and security policy of the Union

What is the European Council?

Meetings of heads government/states and foreign ministers of EU member states

Which two countries heads of state meet in the European Council?

France and Finland

What does the European Council do?

- Discusses major issues
- Sets the political direction for the EU
- Makes key decisions on foreign policy and the EU's economic situation
- Launches new initiatives and agrees changes to treaties

What is the European Parliament?

Elected EU body that provides consultation on issues proposed by European Commission

Where is the European Parliament located?

Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg

What are the powers of the European Parliament?

- Legislative power
- Budgetary power
- Democratic supervision

What is the democratic deficit?

The erosion of democratic accountability that occurs when decision-making authority is transferred from national governments to EU institutions

Is there a democratic deficit in the EU?- Yes

- Legislation is initiated by the European Commission, which is not elected
- National governments can be outvoted under QMV
- The directly elected European Parliament is not sufficiently powerful
- Elections to the European Parliament are dominated by national issues and turnout is low

Is there a democratic deficit in the EU? - No

- The European Commission, which initiates legislation, is accountable to the European Parliament
- The EU's supranational institutions have greatest autonomy in technical matters e.g. central banking
- National governments are represented in the Council of the EU and the European Council
- The European Parliament shares legislative powers with the Council of the European Union- there is a system of checks and balances
- The EU does not have powers in key areas of national life, such as taxation, social security and education

What is competence?

The legal capacity to act in a particular area

Will departure from the EU restore British sovereignty? (YES)

- Parliamentary sovereignty will be restored, the UK is no longer subject to EU law
- Policy competences will be returned to the UK government and Parliament
- Voters will have greater opportunity to hold the government to account for policy decisions in areas where the EU had competence

Will departure from the EU restore British sovereignty? (NO)

- Globalisation means that no state can act independently on issues such as the environment, migration and economic policy
- By pooling sovereignty in the EU, the UK was able to achieve policy objectives that it might not be able to achieve outside the union
- A post-Brexit deal might still entail loss of sovereignty

Is the UK an awkward partner in the EU?

- Late entry
- Distinctive history and culture
- Wariness of further integration
- EU policy exemptions (opt outs)
- Limited influence in EU negotiations
- Weak elite consensus
- Popular eurosceptism

How did Britain vote in the EU referendum?

- Younger people voted remain, older voted leave
- Lower classes voted leave
- The higher the education, the more likely you were to vote remain
- Labour + Lib Dem- remain, Conservatives + UKIP- leave