EU Flashcards
1
Q
Who formed the EU?
A
Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, Alcide de Gasperi, Jean Monnet
2
Q
Why was the EU set up?
A
To allow economic integration to avoid conflict after WW2
3
Q
How many countries in the EU?
A
26
4
Q
Who are the core members?
A
France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and Netherlands.
5
Q
What lead the way for more countries to join?
A
Fall of the Berlin wall lead the way for more countries to join - disillusion of the USSR.
6
Q
What was the EU called in 1952?
A
European Coal and Steel Community
7
Q
What was signed in 1958?
A
Treaties of Rome
8
Q
What was passed in 1987?
A
European Single Act: Single Market
9
Q
What was signed in 1999?
A
Treaty of Amsterdam
10
Q
What was signed in 2003?
A
Treaty of Nice
11
Q
What was signed in 2009?
A
Treaty of Lisbon
12
Q
What was the 2017 Budget worth?
A
€157.9 billion - 1.05% GNI
13
Q
What are the four freedoms of movement?
A
Goods, services, people and capital
14
Q
What has the single market lead to?
A
Significant reductions in price of products and services, including airfares and phone calls.
More choice for consumers.
2.8 million new jobs.
15
Q
Who is the voice of the People?
A
Roberta Metsola - scrutinise, legislate and represent - MEPs - List system.
16
Q
Who is the voice of the member states?
A
Charles Michel - executive - made up of member states.
17
Q
Who promotes the common interest?
A
Ursula von der Leyen - executive
18
Q
How are votes in parliament delegated?
A
Based on population of the nation
19
Q
How many ministers are there from each country?
A
one
20
Q
How often does the president rotate?
A
Every six months
21
Q
How are most decisions taken in the council?
A
Double Majority - 55% of member states and 65% of the EU population
22
Q
What is the role of Members?
A
Proposes new legislation
Executive organ
Guardian of the treaties
Represents the EU on the international stage.
23
Q
How many judges are there?
A
27
24
Q
What do the judges do?
A
Rules on how to interpret EU law.
Ensures EU countries apply EU laws in the same.
25
What is an aim of the EU?
Promoting peace and EU values
26
Why is promoting peace and EU values an aim?
Helped the recovery after WW2. The fall of the USSR could've lead to instability - support of democratic institutions helped to reintegrate the east into Europe.
27
What is an economic aim of the EU?
Promote economic growth across member states.
28
How has GDP increased due to the single market?
Increased by 15%
29
How many new consumers?
500 million - more trade - benefit poorer nations
30
How much bigger is Germany's economy to Bulgaria's
5 times
31
What is the nature of the single market?
Over-regulated
32
What does the EU try to promote
Equal wealth on countries.
33
What has happened to wealth inequality?
Wealth inequality has risen quite substantially since mid 80s - less fair distribution of wealth
Inadequacy of financial responses.
34
What is there meant to be in the EU?
Economic and monetary union
35
Why is this an aim?
Support countries who were badly affected by the financial crisis
36
What did the EU do for Greece?
Give them a Bailout
37
What is the zone called?
Eurozone
38
What was the EU forced to do?
Implement austerity
39
What is the EU meant to be an area for?
Freedom, security and justice
40
Why is it meant to be an area for freedom, security and justice?
Democratic freedom and everyone has rights
41
How does this manifest itself?
Move freely across the borders in search of higher paid jobs.
Easy travel, reciprocal health care - EHIC - study abroad - Erasmus.
Freedom of movement benefit ordinary people
Policing and security have made Europe safer.
42
What upset the tories?
High level of immigration
43
Where have asylum applications fallen to?
Southern Mediterranean countries
44
What do some institutions lack?
Democratic accountability
45
Where have been accused of undemocratic policies?
Hungary and Poland
46
What does the EU aim to combat?
Discrimination and promoting equality
47
What protection for workers is there?
48 hour week maximum.
48
What has been cemented in countries?
Democracy has been cemented in countries emerging out of decades of authoritarian rule
49
How does integration vary?
Denmark out of the eurozone.
National Governments still lead in foreign affairs.
50
What is supernational?
Work as an EU body - 27 states - work as a collective working for the greater good of the collective. All together in working for the common goal for the EU.
51
What is Intergovernmental?
27 separate states working for their own benefit. For them within the EU.
52
What is the European Commission?
Supernational - working to initiate laws for the EU, rather than for the individual need of the member states.
53
Where is the European Commission located?
Brussels
54
How many commissioners are there?
27
55
How is the Commission President chosen?
Nominated by the European Council - must be approved by European Parliament
56
How are individual commissioners selected?
Nominated by national governments - voted on by European parliament.
57
What is the function of the Commission?
Civil service and administrative branch - key role in devising policy via directives. Proposes new laws - only EU body to do this. Manages policies and allocates funding. Enforces law (along with ECJ) and ensures compliance.
58
What did the Commission do in 2020?
Announced 9% reduction in funding for the Common Agricultural Policy.
59
What did they do inn 1982?
Issued Seveso Directive - storage of dangerous substances in the oil and chemical industries to minimise risk of major accidents. Affects over 12,000 industrial establishments across the EU.
60
What are criticisms of the commission?
Criticised for the bureaucracy of the EU.
Not democratically elected - illegitimate.
61
What is the Council of the EU?
Individual representation from governments - intergovernmental.
62
Where is the council of the EU?
Brussels
63
How many members?
27
64
How are members of the council chosen?
Elected from member states but the minister changes dependent on the topic of the meeting.
65
What is the function of the Council?
Legislative Body
66
What is the European Council?
Intergovernmental - best deal for their own country.
67
Who is a member of the European Council?
Heads of state from each member state - president changes every 5 years.
68
What is the Function of the European Council?
Strategic arm - sets the direction of the EU - goes to the European commission - Executive Branch. Took the role of negotiator in Brexit. Most visible part of the EU - due to the nature of having all the leaders there.
69
What is the European Parliament?
Supernational - ideological, not national
70
Where is the European Parliament?
Strasburg, Luxemburg, Brussels - defined by treaties.
71
How many members are there of the EP and how are they selected
705 members - directly elected by member states - number determined by the population of the member state.
72
Who has the most MEPS?
Germany - 96
73
How do the MEPS sit?
Pan-European political groupings - the Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.
74
What is the function of the EP?
Approves the budget, amends the details of the legislation - legislature - doesn’t have the right to initiate legislation.
75
Where is the ECJ?
Luxembourg
76
How is the Court divided?
Courts of Justice and General court
77
What is the Court of Justice?
Deals with requests for preliminary rulings from national courts.
78
What is the General Court?
Rules on actions of annulment brought by individuals, companies and in some cases, EU governments. Practice: means the court mainly deals with competition law, state aid, trade, agriculture and trademarks.
79
How long is term of the ECJ?
6 years - national government appointed - judges select a president - renewable 3 year terms
80
What is the function of the ECJ?
Judiciary - interpret EU law - implemented fairly and uniformly across member states - cases brought by the Commission where it believes laws are being infringed.
81
How has the EU impacted sovereignty?
No parliamentary Act could conflict with EU law and EU legislation took precedence - farming and fishing quotas were tightly restricted - what the UK could change was limited.
82
Why could the UK not remove the tampon tax?
EU VAT rules
83
How was the limits on sovereignty imposed?
Self-imposed by the European Communities Act 1972 - removed by the repeal of the act after Brexit.
84
How have referendums been impacted by the EU?
Referendums - decide the UK's future membership in 1975 and 2016.
No conflict in 1975 - parliament and public agreed.
Brexit 2016 - clear mismatch between Remain majority and MPs and a slim leave majority in the public.
85
How has policy been affected?
Legislation had to align with EU law - also affect other government action.
Harder for governments to bail out industries - EU approval needed to ensure competition rules were adhered to.
86
What did the EU create?
Strong political partnerships
87
What would have made the impact greater?
Joined the Eurozone or signed up to the Schengen Agreement - impact would have been greater - Bank of England no longer been able to set interest rates.
88
How has the EU impacted the judiciary?
UK judges have to give precedence to EU law when making judgements.
1990 Factortame case - reminder.
89
How has the EU impacted political parties?
EU membership divided major political parties.
1970s: most evident in Labour ranks.
1980s: seen more in the Tories.
90
Example of eurosceptic?
John Redwood
91
Example of europhile?
Ken Clark
