EU Institutions and Governance Practice Flashcards

These vocabulary flashcards cover the history, theories of integration, governance models, institutions, and major policy areas (EMU, Green Deal, Rule of Law) of the European Union as discussed in the lecture notes.

Schuman Plan (1951)

The proposal by Robert Schuman that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) by six founding countries: Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

Treaties of Rome (1957)

The treaties that established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

Maastricht Treaty (1992)

The treaty that officially created the 'European Union,' set rules for the future single currency, and established cooperation in foreign, security, and justice affairs.

Lisbon Treaty (2007)

A treaty that amended previous treaties, officialized the European Council as an institution, created the President of the European Council, and enhanced the role of the High Representative.

Essentialist view of identity

The perspective that collective identities like national identities are a product of common cultural background, ethnic membership, and religion, and are given by circumstance.

Anti-essentialist (constructivism) view of identity

The view that identities are social constructs that are multi-dimensional and develop over time rather than being fixed.

Nested identities

A hierarchical organization of identities where local identity is nested in regional, then national, and finally European identity.

Marble cake-model of identity

A model suggesting that local, regional, national, and European identities are intertwined and not easily separated.

Input legitimacy

Legitimacy based on the democratic process and the degree of trust in the procedural rules of the political system.

Output legitimacy

Legitimacy based on the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the political system's decisions.

Functional spillover

A concept in neofunctionalism where integration in one economic sector leads to technical pressures that push states to integrate in other related sectors.

Political spillover

A process where national elites, interest groups, and civil servants lobby for further integration as they transfer their loyalty to supranational institutions.

Cultivated spillover

When supranational actors, such as the European Commission, act as 'policy entrepreneurs' to promote further integration.

Liberal Intergovernmentalism

A theory describing integration as a three-stage process involving national preference formation, interstate bargaining, and the creation of institutions to enhance the credibility of commitments.

Multi-Level Governance (MLG)

A governance approach viewing the EU as a system of shared decision-making across supranational, national, regional, and local levels, where central governments are often bypassed.

Rational choice institutionalism

A theory where institutions are intervening variables that alter how self-seeking, rational actors pursue their preferences through strategic bargaining.

Historical institutionalism

A theory focusing on how past institutional choices create 'path dependent' logic and 'lock-in' patterns that makes reform difficult.

Social constructivism

An approach suggesting that political reality is socially constructed through language, norms, and shared practices rather than being objectively given.

The European Commission

The executive branch of the EU responsible for the 'right of initiative' (proposing legislation), monitoring implementation, and representing the EU externally.

The European Council

The institution composed of the heads of state or government which acts as the highest political authority and agenda-setter for the EU.

Qualified Majority Voting (QMV)

A voting rule requiring $55\%$ of Member States (currently 15 out of 27) representing at least $65\%$ of the EU population to pass a decision.

Coreper

The Committee of Permanent Representatives, composed of Member States' ambassadors in Brussels, who prepare the work of the Council.

Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP)

The standard procedure where the European Parliament and the Council act as co-legislators with equal weight to adopt legislation based on a Commission proposal.

Preliminary ruling

A procedure under Article 267 TFEU where national courts request the CJEU to interpret EU law, ensuring uniform application across all Member States.

Supremacy of EU law

The principle established by the CJEU (Costa vs. ENEL, 1964) that EU law takes precedence over conflicting national law.

Direct effect

The principle (Van Gend en Loos, 1963) that individuals can invoke EU laws directly before their national courts.

Stability and Growth Pact (SGP)

A 1997 fiscal agreement requiring Euro area countries to maintain a budget deficit below $3\%$ of GDP and public debt below $60\%$ of GDP.

Mundell’s Impossible Trinity

An economic theory stating that a country can only achieve two of the following three: stable exchange rates, free capital movement, and independent monetary policy.

European Green Deal (EGD)

A 2019 framework of laws aimed at making Europe climate neutral by 2050 through decarbonization and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Emissions Trading System (ETS)

An EU carbon market where a cap is set on total GHG emissions and companies buy or sell emission rights to incentivize reduction.

Democratic backsliding

State-led activity that undermines or destroys the political institutions sustaining a democracy, often through executive aggrandizement.

Article 7 TEU

A procedure known as the 'nuclear option' that allow for the suspension of a Member State's voting rights if there is a clear risk of a serious breach of EU values.

Rule of law conditionality

A mechanism (Regulation 2020/2092) that allows the EU to suspend funding to Member States for failing to respect the rule of law when it threatens the Union budget.