Exam 2 PSC 3374 2026

Integration

to put two or more things together to make something new

Jean Monnet

One of the EU's founding fathers; French minister of foreign affairs; His ideas inspired the Schuman Plan to unite French and German national production of coal and steel under a single banner.

Schuman Declaration

a proposal to pool European coal and steel production to make future wars between historic rivals like France and Germany "materially impossible," establishing the first supranational body, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), laying the foundation for today's European Union (EU) by merging economic interests for peace and reconstruction.

European Coal and Steel Community

first organization set up to encourage regional integration in Europe, with qualities that were both supranational and intergovernmental. Based on the Treaty of Paris (1951).

European Union

a family of democratic European countries that have set up common institutions to which they delegate some of their sovereignty so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at the European level.

State

legal and political arrangement through which all large-scale political communities are organized, combining government, population, legitimacy, territory and sovereignty.

International organization

body set up to promote cooperation between or among states, based on principles of voluntary cooperation, communal management and shared interests.

Regional integration

promotion of cooperation and collective action among a group of states. Usually focused on economic cooperation, though may be motivated by goals such as peace and unity.

Institution

formal organization or informal practice with a political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity.

Polity

organized and structured system for the government and administration of a political unit, such as a state or city.

Political system

accumulation of interactions and organizations through which a society reaches and successfully enforces collective decisions.

Multilevel governance

administrative system in which power is distributed and shared horizontally and vertically among many different levels of government, with considerable interaction among the parts.

Federation

administrative system in which authority is divided between two or more levels of government, each with independent powers and responsibilities.

Unitary administration

A political system in which there may be multiple levels of government, but all power lies in the hands of the national government.

Confederation

administrative system in which independent states come together for reasons of security, efficiency or mutual convenience, retaining the powers they consider best reserved to themselves, and working together through joint institutions on matters best dealt with together.

Identity

term used in the social sciences to describe how people understand or see themselves, either as individuals or as part of a group.

Nation

community whose members identify with each other based on shared language, ancestry, history, culture, territory, religion, myths and symbols.

Nationalism

belief in the value of preserving the identifying qualities of a nation and promoting its interests, based on self-determination.

Citizenship

complex notion tied to the idea of belonging to a political community (normally a state). This status means the right to live in that state, hold a passport, take part in political life, enjoy freedom of speech and a minimum standard of welfare.

European citizenship

concept developed in order to provide its citizens with more of transnational sense of belonging, falling short of conventional ideas of citizenship.

Free Trade Area

a stage of regional integration where tow or more states agree to eliminate tariffs, quotas, and other restrictions on trade with each other but retain political autonomy in determining trade restrictions with nonmembers.

Tariffs

taxes on import

Quotas

numerical ceilings on goods entering a national border

Customs union

a group of states that not only dismantle impediments to trade among themselves but also agree to create two more institutions: a common external tariff (CET) on goods from non-member countries and common administrative machinery to manage the union. Members of this group may negotiate multilateral trade initiatives (i.e. at the WTO) as a single bloc because they all have the same trade policy with third parties.

Common Market

a customs union that establishes and regulates an internal market. It removes barriers to the mobility of of goods, people, capital, and services, as well as eliminates non tariff barriers to trade, such as the regulatory treatment of product standards.

Economic union

the highest form of economic integration. It includes a common market but it also harmonizes fiscal, monetary, regional development and industrial policies.

Functionalism

An integration theory that expects international cooperation in technical, nonpolitical areas to lead to peace and prosperity. The idea is that cooperation in technology will create new space for cooperation that did not exist before to address concerns and peace can be achieved through the creation of a web of interstate ties without the need for grand intergovernmental agreements.

Neofunctionalism

A theory that states are not the only important actors in efforts to integrate, and that supranational institutions, interest groups and political parties all play a key role in encouraging spillover from technical cooperation to political cooperation.

Spillover

a term describing the pressures through which cooperation among states in one area of policy will lead to pressures to cooperate in others.

Supranationalism

A theory based on the idea that IGOs become the forum for the promotion of the joint interests of the states involved in cooperation, and that there is a transfer of authority to those IGOs. It understands the EU as involving the compromising of state interests in the common good, transferring authority to institutions that work in the interests of the EU as a whole. Power increasingly shifts to EU-level institutions that can act independently.

Multilevel governance theory

An integration theory that sees EU governance as multiple actors operating at different territorial levels - national, subnational, and supranational - within and across political institutions, forming coalitions and transnational networks that facilitate cross-border exchange.

Constructivism

International Relations theory that sees global politics being shaped by socially constructed ideas, norms, and identities, rather than solely by material power or self-interest; shared beliefs and interactions can change states' identities and interests over time

Bargaining power

the capacity of the negotiator to achieve a distributional outcome that as closely as possible reflects the preferences of the principal he or she represents.

Structural power resources

a negotiation theory that says bargaining success can be caused by characteristics of member states such as economic strength, population size, military capabilities, political stability, and administrative capacity

Issue-specific power

a negotiation theory that says bargaining success can be caused by a state's resources in a particular issue, its commitment to this issue and its alternatives to a negotiated agreement on this issue

Realist theory of negotiation

The idea that a state's bargaining power is a reflection of its aggregate resources, such as population size and size of economy

Liberal theory of negotiation

The idea that the institutional features of the negotiation arena can affect the outcome of the negotiation.

Constructivist theory of negotiation

views negotiation as a process where individuals actively build their understanding of the situation and their desired outcomes through interaction and dialogue with the other party, emphasizing the shared creation of meaning and the importance of considering each participant's perspective and cultural context to reach an agreement; essentially, knowledge and reality are not passively received but actively built through negotiation.

Two-level game theory

A negotiation theory that expects chief executives to benefit from tough domestic political constraints

Agenda control

the ability to affect the way in which alternatives enter collective decision making.

soft bargaining

the use of friendly negotiation tactics, such as signaling flexibility, making a conciliatory statement, praising the other side, seeking partners for compromise, and making a proposal for compromise.

hard bargaining

the reliance on conflictual or aggressive negotiation tactics, such as taking an explicit stance at the beginning of negotiations, making a commitment not to compromise, criticizing the other side, forming a defensive coalition, and issuing a threat.

Integrative bargaining

a negotiation strategy in which parties collaborate to find a "win-win" solution to their dispute. This strategy focuses on developing mutually beneficial agreements based on the interests of the disputants. Focus is on long-term gains.

Distributive bargaining

a negotiation strategy in which parties compete over fixed resources and focus on dividing those resources between the parties involved. This strategy uses aggressive tactics and takes a win-lose solution to the dispute. Focus is on short-term gains.

Subsidiarity

principal that issues in the EU should be decided at the lowest possible governmental level

Democratic deficit

the idea that EU institutions lack democratic accountability

Federalism

promotion or support of the idea of working towards replacing the European state system with a new European federation.

Intergovernmentalism

A theory underpinned by realism which sees the EU primarily as a meeting place in which member state representatives negotiate towards consensus at the same time as pursuing state interests and paying less attention to the community of states. Key cooperative decisions are made as a result of negotiations among representatives of the states involved.

Liberal intergovernmentalism

A theory combining elements of neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism, arguing that intergovernmental bargains are driven by pressures coming from the domestic level. In this view, integration involves a series of rational choices made by national leaders in three levels: domestic, intergovernmental, and issue-regime levels. National preferences are determined by the push and pull of mainly economic forces within each country.

Rational institutionalism

A theoretical approach that sees European integration as a result of interstate bargains that trade off between efficiency and accountability. This view focuses on how principals seek to oversee and control agents through institutions.

Historical Institutionalism

An integration theory that explains European integration as a path-dependent process where early decisions lock in institutional structures, limiting future choices and creating long-term policy trajectories. It emphasizes that history matters, using concepts like critical junctures (major turning points) and path dependency to analyze how EU institutions evolve, persist, and change, often leading to unintended consequences.

Acquis communautaire

The accumulated legislation, legal acts and court decisions that constitute the body of European Union law.

British Commonwealth

An international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of its predecessor, the British Empire.

Chapters of the Acquis

During the process of the enlargement of the European Union, the acquis was divided into 31 chapters for the purpose of negotiation between the EU and the candidate states for membership for the fifth enlargement.

"Christmas tree" wave

EU enlargement has proceeded in waves in which disparate countries are linked in a single accession treaty.

Closing benchmarks

Final conditions needing to be met by candidates for EU membership. Adopted by EU as a whole.

Common agricultural policy

The agricultural policy of the European Commission. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programs.

Copenhagen criteria

The rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union. The criteria require that a state has the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights, has a functioning market economy, and accepts the obligations and intent of the European Union.

Copenhagen Summit

June 1993 European Council in Copenhagen, Denmark in which the Copenhagen criteria were laid down.

Directorates General

Departments within the EU with specific zones of responsibility.

Europe a la carte

A possible future in which member states follow the example of the UK in exiting the EU.

Europe of two speeds

The idea that different parts of the European Union should integrate at different levels and pace depending on the political situation in each individual country.

European Economic Area

A loose association between the European Free Trade Association and the European Commission.

European Defense Community

An abortive attempt by western European powers to counterbalance the overwhelming conventional military ascendancy of the Soviet Union in Europe by the formation of a supranational European army.

European Free Trade Association

A regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The founding members of the EFTA were: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Fontainebleau Summit

At the 1984 summit British prime minister Margaret Thatcher agreed to allow proposals for the creation of a single European market in return for a UK rebate.

Fortress Europe

The fear of non-member states that EC governments might attempt to stem the flow of imports.

Fouchet Plan

An unsuccessful plan proposed by French President Charles de Gaulle in 1961. The plan included a three-power directorate consisting of France, Britain and the United States, and called for a new "union of states" in Europe.

Hard Brexit

The complete severance of ties between the UK and EU.

Helsinki Summit

The 1999 European Council was a pivotal EU summit focused on major enlargement strategy, institutional reform, and the creation of a common security policy.

Iron Curtain

The political and physical boundary that divided Europe from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War.

Opening benchmarks

The conditions needing to be met by candidates for EU membership.

Ostpolitik

The normalization of relations between West Germany and East Germany beginning in 1969.

Partnership for Peace

A North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states.

Schengen treaty

A treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished.

Single European Act

The first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a single market by 1992.

The Six

The six founding member states of the European Union, namely Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Suez crisis

A British-French-Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. The crisis demonstrated that the United Kingdom and France could no longer pursue their independent foreign policy without consent from the United States.

Treaty of Maastricht

Another name for the Treaty on European Union.

Treaty on European Union

The foundation treaty of the European Union.

UK rebate

A financial mechanism that reduced the United Kingdom's contribution to the EU budget in effect since 1985.

Value-added tax

A consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution.

Visegrad countries

A cultural and political alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The alliance aims to advance co-operation in military, economic, cultural and energy affairs.

Accountability

the obligation to explain, justify, and take responsibility for one's actions.

Closed list

A form of proportional representation voting where the rank order of party candidates cannot be changed by voters who are called upon to cast votes for that party.

Common principles

Rules for EP elections that require some form of proportional representation for EP elections, but allow member states some control over whether that is open or closed list PR. Allowed for under the Treaty of Amsterdam.

Conciliation Committee

Under the ordinary legislative procedure, a forum set up to reach an agreement on proposed legislation between the European Parliament and the Council.

Consultation procedure

The consultation procedure is used as an exception to the ordinary legislative procedure in sensitive policy areas, on a case-by-case basis, as set out in EU treaty articles.

Degressively proportional representation

The number of seats relative to population is not strictly proportional.

democratic deficit

the perceived gap between the electorate's idea of what a democracy should be, and their perceived conception of how their democracy is currently performing.

Deparliamentarization

Process whereby powers transferred to the EU level because of constitutional rules and EU policy process dynamics have come at the expense of national and European legislatures.

Derogation

If it meets EU goals, some member states are allowed to be exempt from some EU laws or apply an EU law differently or take it longer to meet a deadline.

Dual mandate

Refers to incompatibilities between serving in national and European offices at the same time (For example, serving simultaneously as MEP and nation MP). Disallowed under the Treaty of Amsterdam.

Electoral threshold

The minimum percentage of votes that a political party or a coalition is required to gain in order to be entitled to representation in the legislative assembly.

Europarty

pan-European party organization or federation that coordinates policy and builds links among like-minded national political parties.

Euroscepticism

A political position characterized by criticism of European integration. It stems from concerns over national sovereignty, bureaucratic overreach, and economic policies, ranging from demanding reforms to seeking full withdrawal from the European Union.

Input

Approach to evaluating the legitimacy of a political system by emphasizing the input of citizens in decision making.

Interest group

organization that represents and promotes the political, economic or social interests of its members, which may be individuals, cultural or social groups, professions or industries.

Legitimacy

A value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and proper, thus giving it authority and power

Liberal view of democracy

Emphasizes the protections of personal rights by the EU and the effectiveness of its policies.