European Integration

Reasons for European Integration

  • 1945

  • Legacy of war, war devasted Europe and killed millions in the previous 30 years, replace competition with cooperation, prevent future conflict

  • Cold War, leaders believed that united Europe could compete with the two superpowers

  • Economics, Europe needed to rebuild after WW2, increased trade an cooperation amongst states would boost economies and help improve living standards for people

  • American support, US wanted a strong trading partner and an ally against communism

Benelux Agreement, 1947

  • Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg agreed to abolish all customs duties on imports and exports between them, Benelux Union

  • 1957, trade amongst them tripled

Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, OEEC, 1948

  • Set up to administer Marshall Plan funds to Europe

  • Demonstrated advantages of economic integration and cooperation in order to generate economic growth and raise living standards

Council of Europe, 1949

  • 1948, leaders Western European states met

  • Following year, set up Council of Europe, Strasbourg

  • Included 10 states, set up to promote common ideals and values, to further European unity

  • Had to pass European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR

  • and set up European Court of Human Rights, ECtHR, to rule on it

  • Convention guaranteed the basic rights of all citizens in Europe to democracy, free speech, free media and protection from torture or unfair trials

  • If citizen feels that their rights had been violated by own government, the could take a case to European Court of Human Rights

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, 1949

  • Formed by US, Canada, ten Western European states as military alliance against Soviet Union

European Coal and Steel Community, ECSC, 1952

  • Most important step towards European unity

  • By 1950, growing fear in France about emergence of West Germany as powerful state in Europe

  • To minimise potential threat, Schuman, put forward the Schuman Plan in 1950

  • Proposing the coal and steel industries of France and Germany would be put under a single High Authority

  • They were the key industries for military and industrial production and integrating them would make war unthinkable but also materially impossible

  • Schuman Plan led to Treaty of Paris, 1951, setting up European Coal and Steel Community

  • Began 1952, huge success, steel production grew at twice the rate

  • First time states handed over their sovereignty, deciding to share it was a huge step forward

  • ECSC could make decisions that would be binding on all members

Treaty of Rome, 1957

  • Late 1950s, success of ECSC, seemed natural to extend its principles to other economic areas

  • Six members signed Treaty of Rome, 1957, European Economic Community, EEC, January 1 1958

  • Seek to promote economic cooperation and trade amongst members

  • Core aims, promote economic activity, raise the standard of living, forge and ever closer union among the peoples of Europe

Structure of EEC

  • The Commission

  • Council of Ministers

  • European Parliament

  • Court of Justice

Main policies of EEC

  • Common market

  • Freedom of movement

  • Common Agricultural Policy, CAP

  • Investment Fund, improve less-developed areas of EEC through funding richer members

Enlargement

1. Britain, Ireland and Denmark, 1973

  • Economies of six states increase by 50%, unemployment halved

  • 1961, Britain, Ireland and Denmark applied for membership

  • 1963, vetoed Britain application

  • Ireland and Denmark had to withdrew applications as it was their largest trading partner

  • Three states later joined in 1973, making European Community, EC, nine-member club

2. Greece, Portugal Spain, 1981, 1986

  • EC rules meant democratic states could join

  • Dictatorships that ruled Greece, Portugal and Spain collapsed after WW2, applied membership

3. Austria, Sweden, Finland, 1995

  • Communism collapsed 1989

  • Applied and admitted in 1995 to European Union, created by Maastricht Treaty

4. Eastern Europe, 2004-2013

  • Communist rule collapse 1989

  • Former communist states all poor and unstable

  • EC quickly loaned all of them large sums of money to stabilize their economies and promised membership to all of them

Community > Union

1. Single European Act, 1986

  • Aim was to create Single Market

2. Maastricht Treaty, 1992

  • Early 1990s, leaders of EEC led negotiations on a new treaty, Maastricht Treaty agreed in 1992

  • Created European Union, EU

  • Established rules for single currency, the euro, introduced 2002

  • Removed rights of states to veto things in many areas

  • Gave more power for European Parliament

Successes of EU

  • Achieved fundamental aim, peace has been maintained in Europe

  • Prosperity in Europe increased, people enjoy some of the highest standards of living

  • EU’s membership grown from 6 to 28 members

  • Largest trading bloc in the world

  • Social and structural funding of over 1 trillion, spent to improve economic conditions in poorer areas around Europe

  • Workers have better protections, equal pay for women, minimum wages, maximum working hours and health safety measures

Problems of EU

  • Many people feel that EU moved further away from the people it governs, lack of democracy

  • People feel they are losing their unique national identities within EU

  • EU failed to develop common foreign policy

Impact on Ireland

  • Benefited significantly first 30 years

  • Irish businesses have access to market of over 510 million people

  • Irish citizens can move, work and live within any of the other member states

  • Between 1973, 2014, irish farmers received 54 billion CAP

  • Between 1973, 2015, ireland received over 74.3 billion from EU, going towards building infrastructure around the country