8.3 - The European Union

Question 1

What is the EU?

Answer 1

An economics and political supranational organisation.

Question 2

Where can the EU be traced back to?

Answer 2

The Schuman Declaration 1950.

Question 3

Why was the EU initially set up?

Answer 3

By pooling together coal and steel production as a supranational state, war between European states should have been theoretically impossible.

Question 4

Who initially had the idea for the EU?

Answer 4

Robert Schuman.

Question 5

What was Robert Schuman’s proposal?

Answer 5

France and Germany should pool their production of coal and steel under one supranational authority to preserve peace.

Question 6

Who was Robert Schuman?

Answer 6

The french foreign secretary.

Question 7

What followed the European Coal and Steel Community?

Answer 7

The EEC.

Question 8

What was the EEC?

Answer 8

A supranational organisation that aimed to increase the union between the countries of Europe.

Question 9

What were the four freedoms of the EU?

Answer 9

• Free movement of goods
• Free movement of services
• Free movement of capital
• Free movement of people

Question 10

Why did some people initially think the EU was a positive?

Answer 10

Positive social and economic impacts.

Question 11

Why did some people initially think the EU was a negative?

Answer 11

Undermining democratic accountability and threatened Britain’s existence as an independent nation state.

Question 12

What were the benefits for the UK of EU membership?

Answer 12

• Duty-free access to the world’s second largest economy.
• EU immigration improving economy.
• Jobs reliant on trade with the EU.
• British entrepreneurs can move anywhere they want in the EU.
• Erasmus programme to allow British citizens to study in the EU.
• Workers’ rights are enshrined in the Social Chaper of the Maastricht Treaty.
• The UK has been able to assert shared values on other nation states outside of the EU.

Question 13

What are the negatives for the UK from EU membership?

Answer 13

• Parliamentary sovereignty is undermined.
• EU democratic defecit as the European Commission is not directly elected.
• EU legislation creates unnecessary bureaucracy.
• The CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) protects EU farmers from non-EU competition. The UK has very little workforce in agriculture so does not benefit from 38% of EU spending.
• The UK has had to subsidise a protectionist scheme, going against free-market principles that the EU is founded upon.
• The UK can still engage in other global trade outside of the EU.
• The UK contributes more to the EU than it gets back.

Question 14

Why did the Labour parties of the 70s and 80s dislike the EEC?

Answer 14

It acted as a barrier to achieving socialism.

Question 15

Why do recent Conservative parties dislike the EU?

Answer 15

They feel it undermines parliamentary sovereignty and national identity.

Question 16

What is the major reason for the UK’s historic lack of commitment?

Answer 16

The UK did not join until 16 years after it was established by the Treaty of Rome.

Question 17

What was the problem with joining the EU late?

Answer 17

It had to accept the Common Agricultural Policy, conflicting with British interests.

Question 18

Why did the UK avoid joining the EU until later?

Answer 18

The UK was desparate to maintain a national identity separate from the EU.

Question 19

Why did the remain campaign not resonate with the electorate as expected?

Answer 19

The economic reasoning of the three major parties, CBI, trade unions, Bank of England and Chancellor of the Exchequer did not outweigh the social focus of the Leave campaign, that resonated with C2, D and E voters.

Question 20

What do ‘soft’ Brexit voters want?

Answer 20

To remain in as much of the single market as they can, without the complete free movement of people.

Similar to Switzerland or Norway.

Question 21

What do ‘hard’ Brexit voters want?

Answer 21

A complete leave from the single market, with success in making trade deals with the global economy.