Untitled Flashcards Set

1. Enlargement 

Enlargement after the end of the Cold War: 

• Different geopolitical situation 

• Neutral w-European states joined (Austria, Finland, Sweden) in 1995 

• Austria pledged neutrality 

1993: CPH Criteria for EU membership 

• Political criteria: institutional stability as a guarantee of a democratic and constitutional system, protection of human rights and of mnínorities 

• Economic criterion: functioning market economy as well as the capacity

• Acquis criterion: candidateäs ability to take obligations that come with the membership

• 1997 Luxemburg: Compliance with political criterion as necessary condotion fot the candidate status and the opening of negotiations 

• ‘New Approach’ launched in 2011

Eastern Enlargement: from 15 to 27 

• 2 phases: 2004: Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia & Slovenia - economic weaken member states and many jooning at the same time 

• 2007: Romania and Bulgaria 

Key Points: 

• Strong symbolic dimension: ‘return to Europe’ 

• Strong asymmetry of power & sensitive elements - they will not fall back into any ideas of communism 

Impact on EU: 

• Austria benefitted for example as markets expanded with it 

• Institution and policy reform required 

• Transitional arrangement, e.g. free movement- appease the fear; citizens from new member states weren’t allowed right away to work in the countries before

Rule of law after enlargement: 

• potential membership is great incentive to democratise for candidate countries 

• No incentive to stay democratic once they joined 

• Big conundrum: democratic backsliding in Poland and Hungary

• EU recovering fund: you can only get this money if you stay democratic 

• Helpless when they are undemocratic 

Future enlargement:

• Enlargement off the table for a long time 

• Changing geopolitical situation and Putin’ invasion in Ukraine- stimulus for new enlargement 

• Plan: Ukraine and 9 other countries to join by 2030 

• If others join, they will stay away from Russia 

• Candidates: Albania, Bosnia, Moldova, Montenegro North Macedonia,Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine 

• Kosovo & Georgia do not yet have candidate status 

3 stages of membership accession: 

• Official candidate status

  • When country complies with political criterion 

  • No negotiations yet 

• Formal accession negotiations

  • Adoption of established EU law 

  •  Reforms to meet all membership criteria 

• Membership: 

  • Once all negotiations and reforms are completed 

2 Ever Closer Union: treaty reform 

• More and more member states joined because there were many member states negotiation with each other 

• 1987: single European Act 

• 1993: maastricht 

• 1999: amsterdam

• 2003: nice 

• 200: treaty of lisbon

1997: Treaty of Amsterdam

• Consolidated existing treaties 

• Differentiated integration- opt-outs for UK, IE, DK: member states can not join if they don't want to or are able to 

• Strengthening foreign policy 

• Preparing for enlargement 

• High Representative for common foreign and security policy 

• They wanted all the leaders to bike over the Amstel 

Why a constitutional treaty? 

• 2001.2003: European convention for Developing a constitutional treaty 

• Not a constitute but a constitutional treaty 

• Strengthen citizen rights 

• Which countries rejected the treaty: france and netherlands 

• France rejection 55.6%

• Period of reflection: 2005-2007 

Treaty of Lisbon (Reform Treaty)

• 90% of reforms in ECT 

• BUT not names “constitution”

• Amending existing treaties rather than creating 

• Additional op outs 

• Ince only reform, no referendum necessary 

• Rejected by Irish voter in 2008 but approved second vote 

• Last ratification: Czech Republic in 2009 

• In effect since Dec 2009 

• Replaced by 3 pillars with EU as overall legal structure 

• QMV: 

  • Extended use 

  • Double majority: 55% of Member States representing 65% of the EU population 

• Democracy: more powers to EP and parliaments; citizen initiatives, Charter of FUndamental Rights 

• Permanent president of European Council 

• External Action Service 

• Article 50, Brexit Clause 

Future reforms?

• Amid new enlargement round, ambitions for treaty reforms 

• MEP’s submitted proposal for treaty reform 

  • Towards more bicameral system 

  • More power to EU 

  • Pan European referendums 

3. Politicization of the EU and Euroscepticism 

• Post Maastricht Blues

  • After maastricht, euroscepticism 

  • Not necessarily true

  • Since maastricht though there are PARTIES but there was always people that were eurosceptic 

  • Voters now influence politics more 

• Public opinion on EU integration 

  • Permissive consensus in early stages

  • EU support varies across countries 

  • Euroscepticism- First used by Thatcher

  • Party-based euroscepticism vs public euroscepticism 

  • Party-based has risen now, but public existed before 

• What is politicization?

  • Increase in polarization of opinion, interest or values 

    • 3 indicators: awareness, mobilization, polarization 

  • 3D concept 

    • Salience of the EU 

    • Expansion of actors involved in monitoring/debating EU policy

    • Polarization: actors and opinion 

    • Can vary independently 

  • No- votes in European referendums:

Brexit referendums: 

• OM Cameron promises referendum if conservatives win in elections 

• Nationally, 52% vote to leave 

• A divided country: Scotland and Northern ireland and the young and better educated vote to remain along with London 

• Big distribution 

• Some said if Brexit happened a few years later, outcome would be different since there were mostly young who wanted to stay and the old would “die out”

Brexit Leave Campaign: 

• Supported by UKIP and Right-wing newspaper 

• Leave Campaign focus: 

  • Immigration 

  • Extra funding of NHS 

  • Freedom to forge less onerous international trade agreements 

  • Project fear 

  • Rejection of expert opinion 

• Supported by main political parties and some national newspaper 

• Remain campaign focus 

  • Negative economic implication of leaving 

  • Down-played immigration issue 

• Proposals to limit migration from EU in the future at odds with principle of the free movement of people enshrined in the EU treaties 

• Brexit negotiations under article 50

  • Eu council delegated BRexit negotiations to COmmission 

  • Negotiating principles: 

    • EU to speak with 1 voice 

    • Phased approach 

    • Ensure the integrity of the internal market 

    • Commitment to the Good Friday agreement and peace in Northern Ireland 

EU campaign points of leading parties:

• PVV wants a binding referendum over Nexit, and “0 Dutch Euros to Europe”

• VVD wants less veto powers, strict rules for budget and enlargement, and more geopolitical power to EU 

• GL/PvdA wants a more social Europe and implement the Green deal 

• NSC wants more veto power, against “transfer union”

Supranationalism vs Intergovernmentalism 

European Commission: Promoting the common interest

• Overview: 

  • Guardian of the treaties 

  • Executive of the EU

  • Distinct from Council-innovative 

  • Ex-High Authority of ECSC 

  • Embodies Jean Monnet’s vision of a “functionalist bureaucracy”

• Role of the Commission: 

  • Agenda setting and proposing legislation to Parliament and the Council 

  • Manage and implements EU policies and budget 

  • Enforce European law (with the COurt of Justice) 

  • Represent the EU on the international stage 

• Functions of the Commission 

  • Two functions: 

1. Political executive wing: commissioners and staff 

2. Administrative wing: Commission directorate generals and services 

• Commission president: political leader of the commission: 

  • Has permanent secretariat: Secretariat- General 

  • Power to reject: Commissioner nominees 

  • Power to re-allocate portfolios & reshuffle 

  • Primus supra pares 

• The college of commissioners: 

  • 1 commissioner per member states 

  • Each with portfolio

    • Sectrol: Trade, Energy, Home Affairs etc 

    • Functional: budget 

  • Plans to reduce to ⅔ by 2014 but not implemented 

  • Consensus reached through debate and bargaining 

  • Principle of collegiality- voting rare 

European Commission: structure

• Appointment of the Commission: 

  • 2 step process

1. Appointment of the Commission’s President 

2. Appointment of the Commissioners 

2a. Proposition of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 

2b. Proposition Of the other Commissioners

2c. Appointment of the Commission 

‘Splizenkandidater’: to be discussed in class on EP= European Parliament 

The Cabinet: Commissioner’s private office

• Key role in forwarding Commissioner’s ideas 

• Monitors work in other Commissioner’s departments 

• Staff interact vertically and horizontally 

• Regular Chefs de Cabinet meetings chaired by SG 

• Interface with outside world 

• Traditionally national clusters but increasingly supranational composition and culture 

  • Redefinition of relationship between national governments and commission

• Functions of the Commission: 

  • Two functions: 

    • Political executive wing 

      • Commissioners and staff 

    • Administrative Wing

      • Commission directorates generals and services 

• DGs and Services: 

  • Part of the admin/ bureaucratic level 

  • Divided among departments called “directorate-generals” or services 

  • Each DG is in charge of a particular area. 

  • DGs prepare legislative documents, these documents only become official after being “adopted” by the College 

  • DGs manage the adopted programs and policies 

• Organisation of the commission 

  • Commissions administration 

    • In total, c. 30,000 commission officials 

    • C.12,500 AD officials 

      • Most prestigious 

      • Involved in policy-making and policy management 

      • Competitive recruitment process based on merit “Concours”

      • National quotas 

  • Geographical balance

    • Multinational chains of command 

    • Nationality historically an issue for appointment to higher levels, now much less 

• How “supranational” are commissioners really?

  • Q commissioner/member state; battle over portfolios

  • “Reliable” national politicians with national careers

  • Gehring and Schneider: providing the commissioner increases national budget allocation 

• External Relations

  • Special case: foreign affairs and security policy represented by the high representative 

  • Until Lisbon, High Representative was part of Council 

  • In CFSP still under mandate of council 

Intergovernmental or supranational? 

Intergovernmental

• National government are motors of integration 

• Commission’s authority is delegated 

• Commission facilitates IG cooperation 

• Power decided by treaty negotiations 

• Commission actors pursue national interests 

Supranational: 

• Commission influences European Council and IGC outcomes 

• Day-to-day. Commission interprets vague treaty-based framework 

• Commission actors tend to have a supranational identity 

European Council: 

• Founded in 1974, 1987 first mentioned in the treaties 

• Since 2009 official institution of the EU 

• Heads of state and government

• Founding idea: no civil servants!

• Meet four times a year 

• General political directions and priorities 

• Agenda setter, no legislative function 

European Council Meeting 

• High profiles summits of political leaders 

• Attended by European Commission Pres and High Representative 

• Breaks deadlock over politically charged issues 

• Key role during 2 decades of eurosclerosis ‘

President of the European Council

• role exists since 2009 

• Elected by the European Council with qualified majority 

• For 2.5 years 

• Renewable once 

Charles Michel:

• President of the European Council 

• Former prime minister of Belgium 

• Member of Renew Europe 

• Predecessors: 

  • Donald Tusk

  • Herman van Rompuy 

High representative: 

• High representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy 

• Visible International legal personality 

  • Blurs boundaries between council + commission 

  • Posts EU as credible global actor 

  • High- level diplomacy through European External Action service 

• European Council appoints HR for 5-year term 

Rotating presidency: 

• Every 6 years, other member states has presidency

  • Plans, schedules & chairs Coreper and working groups 

• Highly coveted 

  • Balances power between big and small countries 

  • Great agenda setting possibility 

  • However, Huge workload 

• Enigmatic Identity 

  • Collective european solutions vs national interests 

• Permanent president of European Council 

  • Loss of power 

Council of EU

• Legislative body 

• Formerly “council of ministers”

• Meetings of national ministers 

• Eg. ECOFIN council Foreign affairs council 

• Frequency varies 

  • Importance of portfolio

  • EU competencies

• Meetings of over 100 people 

COREPER: 

• Committee of permanent representatives 

  • Two permanent representatives per member state

• Preparatory body of the council 

  • Intense negotiations: de-facto decision. Makers 

  • Weekly meetings to prepare work of the council 

• Unique vantage point 

  • Horizontally; work across all EU affairs 

  • Vertically: work between ministers and experts 

• Permanent representatives 

• Criticized for lack of transparency 

Inter-institutional relations: 

• Interactions with commission

  • Main pulse and dynamic of European integration 

  • Both strained and smooth 

  • Empty chair crisis of 1965 

• Interactions with European parliament 

  • Originally one sided 

  • Towards a bicameral federal political system 

EP in EU: where is it? 

• France wanted to have some piece of the European cake hence the Strasbourg 

Evolving EP: 

• 1951: common assembly of ECSC 

  • Added democratic legitimacy 

  • 78 members appointed from national legislature 

  • 1979: first direct elections to EP 

  • EP used direct elections to ask for more power 

  • Today: equal legislative and budgetary partner to the Council 

  • Scrutinize and hold the Commission to account

• Treaty of rome: 1957

  • Coverage extended to three communities 

  • Increased right of consultation but council not be obliged to take account of Assembly’s position 

  • Right to propose elections by direct suffrage 

Power and influence in 3 key areas 

1. EU Budget: 

• Budget treaties of 1970 & 1975 

  • Right to amend/ reject and sign off books 

  • Consulted re. Appointments in Courts of Auditors 

  • Rower re. non -compulsory spend only (20%)

• Persistent conflict between Council and EP 

  • Resolution via multiannual financial perspective 

• Lisbon removes non compulsory distinction 

  • EP and Council as bicameral budgetary authority 

• Central tool: priorities, direction and how money is spent 

• Multiannual Framework (MMF) result of long political process 

• 2021-2027 MFF and NextGenerationEU (total 1.8 trillion euros)

  • First proposal by commission in May 2018 

  • Revised 2020 due to Corona 

  • July 2020 agreed by member states 

  • December 2020 agreed by EP 

2. EP and the Commission 

• Dismissal 

  • EP enjoys right to dismiss whole commission 

  • Never happened, but Santer commission resigned (1999)

• Appointment

  • 1992 Maastricht & 1997 Amsterdam: formal right to veto President-designate & whole COmmission 

  • 2007 Lisbon: direct role in appointing President 

  • EP interview and proves individual COM candidates 

• Scrutiny 

  • Limited to invitation to explain & justify decisions 

  • Commission submits annual work programme to EP 

• Ex. 2004 Rocco Buttiglione e 2019. EP rejects French, Hungarian and Polish candidate 

3. EP’s increasing legislative powers:

• Consultation procedure (1979)

• Cooperation procedure 

  • Introduced by 1986 SEA 

  • Second reading and conditional veto 

  • Closer collaboration with commission 

• Co-decision (renamed Ordinary Legislative Procedure by Lisbon Treaty)

  • Introduced by 1992 Maastricht Treaty 

  • Third reading; unconditional veto; conciliation process 

  • From Article 15, today it covers 85 policy areas 

  • EP and council as co-legislators 

• EP has shaped legislation va the OPL 

  • Eg. increasing environmental standards, promoting civil liberties, improving consumer rights 

• Changing inter-institutional relations 

  • Small negotiating teams from EP and council 

  • Trilogues (EP, Council, COM)

  • Legislation concluded on first reading 

  • However, implications for transparency 

• Efficiency vs Legitimacy 

4. Internal politics of the EP 

• Strong committees and weak parties 

• Political groups 

  • Link between Brussels and national level parties 

  • need 23 MEPs to create a group 

  • Seven cross-national groups 

  • Largest groups 

    • European People’s Part (EEP): centre-right 

    • Social & Democratic Alliance (S&D): centre- left 

Key positions: 

• President 

  • Chairs Plenary and represents the EP 

  • Allocation decided by party elites 

• Vice President 

  • Support the President and help run the parliament  

• Committee chairs  

  • Set calendar and agenda of meetings 

  • Participate in OLP inter-institutional negotiations 

EP president Robert Metsola

• In office since 2022

• After death of Daide Sassoli

• Youngest president, third woman, first Maltese 

• Member of EPP 

Committees

• Over 20 standing committees 

• Divided functionally into policy areas 

• Repository for policy expertise 

• Legislation mainly discussed in committees 

• Appoint teams for intra/inter-institutional negotiations 

Rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs 

• Draft committee reports 

• Shape positions adopted by their political groups 

• Central to negotiation team for talks under OLP 

Legislative process: trilogues 

• Commission + EP + Council together 

• Lack of transparency, but much faster 

Parliament at Work: PLenary 

• Multilingualism: 24 Languages = 552 combinations 

  • Effects on debted & the public 

• Plenary for public position taking; specifics aöready discussed within committees 

• Keeping check on committees 

• Final say about reports 

Policy-making instruments

• Primary legislation 

  • treaties : direct effect 

• Secondary legislation 

  • Regulations: direct effect on member states 

  • directive s: transposed by member state and national regulations with minor deviations allowed 

  • Decision: mainly issued by EC and binding for select stakeholders 

Soft law instruments: 

• recommendations and opinion: not enforceable, mainly political and declaratory in nature 

• Green papers and communications 

• self/ co-regulation 

• Open method of coordination: guidelines, benchmarking, exchange of best practice 

How do these instruments come into being? 

• Collaboration between supranational and intergovernmental being 

• Co-decision or Ordinary legislative Procedure 

  • The procedure that EU strives for since it’s very transparent 

  • Exception remains 

  • Most decisions go through this process 

Forward planning, agenda-setting 

• All european institutions are involved 

• Not just done by one but is a combination 

• From the bigger agenda, each and every year a new strategic era is made 

• Ex. communication from the commission to the european parliament, te council, the european economic and social committee and the committee of the regions: shows how it goes through all the different committees

Legislative proposal: 

• Throughout the year 

• European commission takes the lead 

• Consult with a variety of experts- everyone whose interrelated in the initiative 

• Ex. legislative proposal for migration: people from parliament and everyone whose interested would come into this 

Voting procedures: 

• Council of the EU/ ministers: Qualified Majority Voting 

• Trilogues: 

  • Plenary or committee negotiating mandate 

  • Council or COREPER negotiation mandate 

Implementation 

• Member states: monitored by European COmmission and European Court of justice 

• Regulation, urectivem decision, recommendation EU commission assists in the transposition of EU directive into national laws 

• Evaluation: European commission 

• European semester: 

  • New socio economic governance architecture architecture ro coordinate national policies without transferring full sovereignty to the EU level