Economics of the EU Flashcards
7 main EU institutions.
1) European Council
2) Council of the EU
3) European Commission
4) European Parliament
5) European Court of Auditors
6) European Court of Justice
7) European Central Bank
4 features of the European Council.
1) Consists of member state’s leaders
2) No legislative power
3) Advisory and strategic role
4) Intergovernmental
4 features of the Council of the EU.
1) Consists of 27 national ministers, depending on the question at hand (1 per each MS)
2) Co-legislates with EU Parliament
3) Oversees the budget with EU Parliament
4) Intergovernmental.
5 features of the European Commission.
1) Executive power
2) Cabinet of 27 (1 from each MS), including the President
3) Manages the budget
4) Only one to initiate laws
5) Supranational
4 features of the European Parliament.
1) Co-legislates with the Council of the EU
2) Oversees the budget with the Council of the EU
3) Elected by EU citizens
4) Supranational
3 features of the European Court of Auditors.
1) Cabinet of 27 (1 from each MS), including the President
2) Externally controls EU’s budget implementation
3) Supranational
3 features of the European Court of Justice.
1) Ensures unified application and interpretation of EU laws in MS
2) May take action against EU institutions
3) Supranational
2 features of the European Central Bank.
1) Carries out EU’s monetary policy
2) Independent
3 reasons why forming the EU failed before WW2.
1) Great depression (1929)
2) Protectionism
3) Nazism and authoritarianism
What and when was the “Marshall plan”? How were the funds allocated?
1948: USA’s economic restoration plan for Europe to keep communism at bay. Allies and industrial nations received most
What and when was the “Morgenthau plan”?
1944: an abandoned plan to partition Germany and make it a backward country
What and when was the “Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC)”? What became of it?
1948: established to administer USA’s and Canada’s aid funds. Later became the “Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)”
What and when was the “European Steel and Coal Community (ESCC)”?
1951: France, Germany, Italy and BENELUX combined heavy industries to make war impractical and create a supranational institution
What and when were the “Treaties of Rome”? What 2 institutions were created?
1957: aim to create a Customs Union. “Euratom” and the “European Economic Community” were created. Them and ESCC had common institutions
2 negative effects Brexit had on UK.
1) Lack of employees (especially seasonal)
2) Trade barriers with the EU (paperwork, health certificates, customs declarations)
3 countries of EU’s 1973 enlargement.
1) United Kingdom
2) Ireland
3) Denmark
1 country of EU’s 1981 enlargement.
Greece
2 countries of EU’s 1986 enlargement.
1) Spain
2) Portugal
3 countries of EU’s 1995 enlargement.
1) Austria
2) Sweden
3) Finland
10 countries of EU’s 2004 enlargement.
1) Estonia
2) Latvia
3) Lithuania
4) Poland
5) Czech Republic
6) Slovenia
7) Slovakia
8) Hungary
9) Malta
10) Cyprus
2 countries of EU’s 2007 enlargement.
1) Romania
2) Bulgaria
1 country of EU’s 2013 enlargement.
Croatia
Define “economic integration”.
Market + political integration
(elimination of economic frontiers between 2 or more countries)
2 types of “economic integration”. Explain.
Negative: elimination of obstacles to the movement of goods, services, labour and capital (tariffs, quotas etc.)
Positive: modifying existing instruments and institutions, and creating new ones at the supranational level (EU Court of Justice, the EURO etc.)
4 stages of “economic integration”.
1) Free trade area (FTA)
2) Customs union
3) Common (single) market
4) Economic and monetary union
3 features of “Free trade area (FTA)” stage of economic integration.
1) Removal of trade tariffs and quotas between area members
2) National trade barriers with third countries still exist
3) Rules of origin to prevent trade deflection (goods enter a low-tariff member and enter the trade area)
2 real life examples of “Free trade area (FTA)” stage of economic integration.
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
2 features of “Customs Union” stage of economic integration.
1) Free Trade Area (FTA) features
2) Common trade policy (including a common external tariff) for non-member countries, so trade deflection is no longer possible
1 real life example of “Customs union” stage of economic integration.
European Economic Community (EEC) 1968
3 features of “Common (single) market” stage of economic integration.
1) Customs Union (CU) features
2) Free mobility of production factors
3) Removal of non-tariff barriers
1 real life example of “Common (single) market” stage of economic integration.
EU: Single European Act (SEA) in 1987
3 features of “Economic and Monetary Union” stage of economic integration.
1) Common Market (CM) features
2) Common monetary policy and currency
3) Macroeconomic policy coordination
1 real life example of “Economic and monetary union” stage of economic integration.
EU: Treaty on European Union (TEU) in 1999
4 benefits of greater economic integration.
1) Specialisation
2) Economies of scale
3) Increase in quantity and quality of production factors
4) Peace preservation
Define “trade creation”.
Replacement of domestic production by cheaper imports from an another country
2 types of “trade creation”.
1) Production effect: gained efficiency by not having to produce goods that other country produces cheaper
2) Consumption effect: increase in consumption due to price reduction from cheaper imports
Define “trade diversion”.
Replacement of cheaper third country imports by more expensive imports from a CU member
4 types of “trade barriers”.
1) Tax
2) Physical
3) Technical
4) Public contracts
Was EU market integration achieved by 1980’s?
No, it was not achieved due to increased protectionism during the 1970’s
Define “mutual recognition” principle.
A good sold in one country of the single market can be lawfully sold in any other country of the single market
3 examples of tax trade barrier. Why is it a barrier?
Because taxes are not harmonised between single market members.
1) VAT
2) Personal income tax
3) Corporate tax
Describe “origin-based tax” and “destination-based tax”.
1) origin: taxes are levied at the point of production
2) destination: taxes are levied at the point of consumption
Define “physical trade barrier”. 4 examples.
Happen at the border.
1) Transport licences
2) Health regulations
3) Tax adjustments
4) Administrative formalities (statistics etc.)
Which EU legislation removed trade border controls within MS?
Schengen Agreement (effective 1995) and incorporated in the Amsterdam Treaty (1999)
Define “technical trade barrier”.
Technical regulations in the production of goods (when production has already begun)
2 methods of monetary integration (currency policy).
1) irrevocable fixing of currency exchange rates and cooperation between the national banks
2) a common currency under a common central bank
4 features of “flexible (floating) exchange rate”.
1) Independent monetary policy
2) Acts as a “shock absorber”
3) Automatic balance of payments
4) Speculative: negatively affects trade and investment
4 features of “fixed exchange rate”.
1) Not speculative: positive effect on trade and investment
2) Limited monetary policy
3) Requires large holdings of foreign currencies
4) No automatic balance of payments
6 pre-requisites countries should meet before forming a “Monetary Union”.
1) Be open to trade and trade heavily with each other
2) Country’s production and exports are very diversified
3) Similar inflation and economic cycles
4) High financial integration
5) High labour mobility
6) Solidarity in absorbing external shocks
Name the initial failed attempt at forming an “European Monetary Union”? When?
“Werner Report” in 1970
What and when was the “European Monetary System (EMS)”?
In 1979 it introduced fixed but adjustable exchange rates and gave way for EMS-2 in 1999