aims and achievements

Question 1

1st aim - PPTVOTEUATWBOIC

Answer 1

-promote peace, the values of the EU and the wellbeing of its citizens

Question 2

evidence that the 1st aim has been acheived:

Answer 2

-the member nations have not fought each other since the end of WW2
-rising living standards and economic growth have coincided with the EU’s existence - e.g. spain’s GDP per capita before joining was around 12,000 but once they joined the eu in 1986 it had a big increase e.g. in 1990 it was at almost 20,000
-democracy and the rule of law operate in EU countries

Question 3

evidence that the 1st aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 3

-the EU faces threats from an increasingly aggressive (especially now with the russia ukraine war), an unstable middle east and home grown terrorism
-the rise of populist anti EU parties shows the frustration felt by citizens who feel the EU has not enriched their lives, illustrated by the brexit referendum in 2016
-the EU has been criticised for having a democratic deficit - lack of accessibility and representation of citizens of EU member states within the policy making process and EU institutions

Question 4

2nd aim - FSAJWIB

Answer 4

-freedom, security and justice without internal borders

Question 5

evidence that the 2nd aim has been achieved:

Answer 5

-all EU members are part of the single market, in which the four freedoms apply
-25/27 EU nations are members of the schengen area, in which there are no borders between countries
-EU countries work together on policing and anti-terrorism, including using the european arrest warrant to arrest criminals across the EU

Question 6

evidence that the 2nd aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 6

-2 EU nations chose to opt out of the schengen area - the republic of ireland and cyprus
-border checks can be reimposed by schengen members in the event of a serious threat e.g. in 2020 and 2021 checks were temporarily reintroduced to protect public health during covid
-schengen states including austria and denmark have used border checks to stop migrants from the middle east + africa arriving via other countries in the schengen area

Question 7

what are the four freedoms of the EU?

Answer 7

goods, services, people and capital within the EU single market

Question 8

3rd aim -BEGAACME

Answer 8

balanced economic growth and a competitive market economy

Question 9

evidence that the 3rd aim has been achieved:

Answer 9

-EU has led the development of competitive economies, encouraging eastern european countries to transition from communist states to flourishing capitalist economies
-EU recovered from 2008 financial crisis, with growth rates being around 2% from 2014-19
-EU environmental regulations are generally stricter than those of individual nations, resulting in higher standards of air quality etc

Question 10

evidence that the 3rd aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 10

-2008 economic crisis damaged the economies of EU nations causing unemployment and in some countries unemployment remained high e.g. unemployment was on average 7% in 2008 but in spain and greece rates increased to 26% by 2013
-covid pandemic caused growth to shrink by 6% in 2020 but it damaged the economy of all countries not just EU nations

Question 11

4th aim - CSEAD

Answer 11

-combat social exclusion and discrimination

Question 12

evidence that the 4th aim has been achieved:

Answer 12

-EU law protects individuals’ human rights
-EU citizens have freedom of movement and cannot be discriminated against

Question 13

evidence that the 4th aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 13

-2015 migrant crisis showed some prejudices evident in attacks on refugee housing
-various right wing gov.s across the EU have restricted help for asylum seekers and migrants e.g. denmark
-far right parties with anti immigrant and anti islam policies have gained ground in many countries across the EU e.g. Alternative for Germany party

Question 14

5th aim - SATP

Answer 14

scientific and technological progress

Question 15

evidence that the 5th aim has been achieved:

Answer 15

-european research area encourages sharing of scientific knowledge, research and skills
-billions of euros are spent on science and techonology e.g. for 2023-24 they invested 13.5 billions euros into research and innovation
- the european research council’s investments in scientific research have led to numerous breakthroughs - 80% of the research projects they fund lead to scientific breakthroughs

Question 16

evidence that the 5th aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 16

-EU countries invest less in research and development than their main competitors e.g. china and america
-the USA is more effective at turning research into world leading businesses e.g. facebook and google

Question 17

6th aim - ESATCASAMC

Answer 17

economic social and territorial cohesion and solidarity amongst member countries

Question 18

evidence that the 6th aim has been achieved:

Answer 18

-by pooling sovereignty, EU nations act as a united front
-EU is the 3rd largest economy in the world and by working together they make better trade deals with non EU countries than if they negotiated alone
-the single market is the largest in the world e.g. it created over 2.5mil jobs from 1992 to 2006
-EU protects workers’ rights
-EU provides billions of euros funding to less economically developed regions to try and reduce disparities across the EU through the ‘cohesion fund’

Question 19

7th aim - EAEAMUWCITE

Answer 19

establish an economic and monetary union whose currency is the euro

Question 20

evidence that the 7th aim has been achieved:

Answer 20

-19 member states use the euro
-the euro is the 2nd most traded currency

Question 21

evidence that the 7th aim hasn’t been achieved:

Answer 21

-the UK chose not to join the euro
-the 2008 financial crisis exposed problems caused by very different economies sharing the same currency