EU Flashcards

1
Q

Who formed the EU?

A

Konrad Adenauer, Winston Churchill, Robert Schuman, Alcide de Gasperi, Jean Monnet

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why was the EU set up?

A

To allow economic integration to avoid conflict after WW2

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How many countries in the EU?

A

26

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Who are the core members?

A

France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium and Netherlands.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What was the EU called in 1952?

A

European Coal and Steel Community

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What was signed in 1958?

A

Treaties of Rome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What was passed in 1987?

A

European Single Act: Single Market

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What was signed in 1999?

A

Treaty of Amsterdam

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What was signed in 2003?

A

Treaty of Nice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What was signed in 2009?

A

Treaty of Lisbon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was the 2017 Budget worth?

A

€157.9 billion - 1.05% GNI

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the four freedoms of movement?

A

Goods, services, people and capital

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Who is the voice of the People?

A

Roberta Metsola - scrutinise, legislate and represent - MEPs - List system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Who is the voice of the member states?

A

Charles Michel - executive - made up of member states.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Who promotes the common interest?

A

Ursula von der Leyen - executive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

How are votes in parliament delegated?

A

Based on population of the nation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How many ministers are there from each country?

A

one

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How often does the president rotate?

A

Every six months

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How are most decisions taken in the council?

A

Double Majority - 55% of member states and 65% of the EU population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
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.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How many judges are there?

A

27

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What do the judges do?

A

Rules on how to interpret EU law.
Ensures EU countries apply EU laws in the same.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is an aim of the EU?

A

Promoting peace and EU values

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Why is promoting peace and EU values an aim?

A

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.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is an economic aim of the EU?

A

Promote economic growth across member states.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

How has GDP increased due to the single market?

A

Increased by 15%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How many new consumers?

A

500 million - more trade - benefit poorer nations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

How much bigger is Germany’s economy to Bulgaria’s

A

5 times

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is the nature of the single market?

A

Over-regulated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What does the EU try to promote

A

Equal wealth on countries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What has happened to wealth inequality?

A

Wealth inequality has risen quite substantially since mid 80s - less fair distribution of wealth
Inadequacy of financial responses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What is there meant to be in the EU?

A

Economic and monetary union

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Why is this an aim?

A

Support countries who were badly affected by the financial crisis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What did the EU do for Greece?

A

Give them a Bailout

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What is the zone called?

A

Eurozone

38
Q

What was the EU forced to do?

A

Implement austerity

39
Q

What is the EU meant to be an area for?

A

Freedom, security and justice

40
Q

Why is it meant to be an area for freedom, security and justice?

A

Democratic freedom and everyone has rights

41
Q

How does this manifest itself?

A

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
Q

What upset the tories?

A

High level of immigration

43
Q

Where have asylum applications fallen to?

A

Southern Mediterranean countries

44
Q

What do some institutions lack?

A

Democratic accountability

45
Q

Where have been accused of undemocratic policies?

A

Hungary and Poland

46
Q

What does the EU aim to combat?

A

Discrimination and promoting equality

47
Q

What protection for workers is there?

A

48 hour week maximum.

48
Q

What has been cemented in countries?

A

Democracy has been cemented in countries emerging out of decades of authoritarian rule

49
Q

How does integration vary?

A

Denmark out of the eurozone.
National Governments still lead in foreign affairs.

50
Q

What is supernational?

A

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
Q

What is Intergovernmental?

A

27 separate states working for their own benefit. For them within the EU.

52
Q

What is the European Commission?

A

Supernational - working to initiate laws for the EU, rather than for the individual need of the member states.

53
Q

Where is the European Commission located?

A

Brussels

54
Q

How many commissioners are there?

A

27

55
Q

How is the Commission President chosen?

A

Nominated by the European Council - must be approved by European Parliament

56
Q

How are individual commissioners selected?

A

Nominated by national governments - voted on by European parliament.

57
Q

What is the function of the Commission?

A

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
Q

What did the Commission do in 2020?

A

Announced 9% reduction in funding for the Common Agricultural Policy.

59
Q

What did they do inn 1982?

A

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
Q

What are criticisms of the commission?

A

Criticised for the bureaucracy of the EU.
Not democratically elected - illegitimate.

61
Q

What is the Council of the EU?

A

Individual representation from governments - intergovernmental.

62
Q

Where is the council of the EU?

A

Brussels

63
Q

How many members?

A

27

64
Q

How are members of the council chosen?

A

Elected from member states but the minister changes dependent on the topic of the meeting.

65
Q

What is the function of the Council?

A

Legislative Body

66
Q

What is the European Council?

A

Intergovernmental - best deal for their own country.

67
Q

Who is a member of the European Council?

A

Heads of state from each member state - president changes every 5 years.

68
Q

What is the Function of the European Council?

A

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
Q

What is the European Parliament?

A

Supernational - ideological, not national

70
Q

Where is the European Parliament?

A

Strasburg, Luxemburg, Brussels - defined by treaties.

71
Q

How many members are there of the EP and how are they selected

A

705 members - directly elected by member states - number determined by the population of the member state.

72
Q

Who has the most MEPS?

A

Germany - 96

73
Q

How do the MEPS sit?

A

Pan-European political groupings - the Group of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.

74
Q

What is the function of the EP?

A

Approves the budget, amends the details of the legislation - legislature - doesn’t have the right to initiate legislation.

75
Q

Where is the ECJ?

A

Luxembourg

76
Q

How is the Court divided?

A

Courts of Justice and General court

77
Q

What is the Court of Justice?

A

Deals with requests for preliminary rulings from national courts.

78
Q

What is the General Court?

A

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
Q

How long is term of the ECJ?

A

6 years - national government appointed - judges select a president - renewable 3 year terms

80
Q

What is the function of the ECJ?

A

Judiciary - interpret EU law - implemented fairly and uniformly across member states - cases brought by the Commission where it believes laws are being infringed.

81
Q

How has the EU impacted sovereignty?

A

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
Q

Why could the UK not remove the tampon tax?

A

EU VAT rules

83
Q

How was the limits on sovereignty imposed?

A

Self-imposed by the European Communities Act 1972 - removed by the repeal of the act after Brexit.

84
Q

How have referendums been impacted by the EU?

A

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
Q

How has policy been affected?

A

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
Q

What did the EU create?

A

Strong political partnerships

87
Q

What would have made the impact greater?

A

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
Q

How has the EU impacted the judiciary?

A

UK judges have to give precedence to EU law when making judgements.
1990 Factortame case - reminder.

89
Q

How has the EU impacted political parties?

A

EU membership divided major political parties.
1970s: most evident in Labour ranks.
1980s: seen more in the Tories.

90
Q

Example of eurosceptic?

A

John Redwood

91
Q

Example of europhile?

A

Ken Clark