List Examples Flashcards
Major inventions of the “Second Industrial Revolution” were:
Modern steel production –> railways
Electricity –> radio, electric lighting, telephone
Combustion Engine –> automobiles
Pharmaceuticals –> modern medicine
The “Third Industrial Revolution” is essentially based on:
Invention of the transistor
Exploration of the structure of DNA
The core elements of the EU Lisbon Agenda aiming at sustainable development are:
Economic Growth
Social Equilibrium
Environmental Quality
The most important “Copenhagen” criteria for joining the EU are:
Stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for minorities.
A functioning market economy.
It must take on board all the „acquis“ and support the various aims of the European Union.
The two biggest political parties in the European Parliament are:
Social Democrats
Conservatives/Christian Democrats
List three important European Union Agencies:
European Environment Agency
European Food Safety Authority
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
European Medicines Agency
The main regulative acts of the EU are:
Regulations
Directives
Decisions
The Single Market is a European frontier free area for the movement of:
People
Goods
Services
Money
The major challenges to transport within the EU are:
Global Climate Change Agreement- requires reduction of CO2 emissions by 80-90% by 2050.
Replacement of combustion engines by electrical motors.
Change of transport modality mix from individual cars to mass traffic and bicycles.
Mid-distance air travel replaced by fast trains.
The three biggest regions/countries in respect to energy consumption are:
China
USA
EU
The most important solidarity policies are:
Regional Policy
Common Agricultural Policy
Common Fisheries Policy
Environmental Policy
Social Policy
The purpose of the EU solidarity policies is to:
Support the completion of the single market.
Correct structural and economic imbalances.
Support industrial sectors encountering difficulties.
The main instruments for providing regional aid within the EU are:
European Regional Development Fund
Cohesion Fund
European Investment Bank
The original aims of the CAP, as set out in the Treaty of Rome from 1957, were:
To achieve a fair standard of living for the farming community.
To stabilise the markets.
To supply consumers at reasonable prices.
To modernise farming infrastructure.
Aim of the Common Fisheries Policy:
Reduce the overcapacity in fishing fleets.
Preserve fish stocks.
Provide financial assistance for fishing communities to develop other economic activities.
Measures of the Common Fisheries Policy:
Assignment of lots for fishing operations.
Limitations of number of fishing vessels.
Quota for catches.
Community research includes contributions to very large scale EU projects such as:
Euratom
Horizon Europe
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Rector (ITER)
Major measures of the EU to reduce air pollution from road transport:
Lead and sulfur free gasoline and diesel.
Catalytic converters for gasoline cars.
Particle filters for diesel cars.
Maximum emission limits.
Maximum fuel consumption.
The main measures to achieve a reduction of the Green House Gas emissions in the EU
by 55% by 2030 are:
Reduction of primary energy use
Increase of renewable energies
Decarbonisation of transport
Reduction of CO2 emissions of fossil fuel power plants
Major criteria for a country joining the Eurozone:
Price stability: rate of inflation may not exceed the average rates of
inflation of the three member states with the lowest inflation by more
than 1.5 %.
Long-term interest rates may not vary by more than 2% in relation to the three member states with the lowest inflation.
National budget deficits must be below 3% of the GDP
Public debt may not exceed 60% of GDP
Exchange rate stability: exchange rates must have remained within
the authorized margin of fluctuation for the previous two years.
Criteria of the Stability and Growth Pact (“Maastricht Criteria”) for the Eurozone
Member States:
Annual deficit of state budget limited to 3% of GDP.
Total national debt limited to 60% of GDP.
Sanctions for deviations.
The initial services provided by Copernicus are:
Global Earth Observation
Land Monitoring
Atmospheric Monitoring
Extreme Weather Events
Crisis Management
Climate Change Effects
Practical achievements of EU activities in the domain freedom, security and justice:
Elimination of border controls between the “Schengen” countries.
Europol for cooperation of police forces.
Eurojust for cooperation of prosecutors and civil law.
Frontex for cooperation between border control authorities.
First steps towards a common asylum policy.
In respect to its position in a globalised world the EU has major strengths:
Third largest economic region worldwide.
EU-27 has 16% of global GDP with 6% of global population.
The EU has the best education system in the world.
Its political „Leitmotiv“ - Sustainable Development – can serve as a
model for the whole world.
Excellent political relations with most countries in the world.
In respect to its position in a globalised world the EU has major weaknesses:
Global economic position and performance decreasing.
Socio-economic problems (high taxes and labour costs, ageing society,…).
Politically, the EU is an ongoing and unfinished project.
Structural problems.
EU energy dilemma.
Socia-cultural problems.
Major structural problems of the EU:
General poverty in important raw materials.
De-industrialisation.
Increasing discrepancies in economic and financial affairs between Northern and Southern member states.
Increasing dependencies on other economies for high-tech products.
Lack of skilled workers.
Regulation often more important than innovation.
Excessive bureaucracies.
Key threats to the security of the EU as identified in the EU security strategy:
Terrorism
Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Regional conflicts
Failed states.
Organised Crime
Mass Migration.
Major achievements of the Single Market of the EU:
Single European Act
Transport Policy
Energy Policy
Competition Policy
Major achievements of the Solidarity Policies of the EU:
Regional and Cohesion Policy
Common Agricultural Policy
Common Fisheries Policy
Environmental Policy
Climate and Energy Policy
Major achievements of the Innovation Policies of the EU:
Research Policy
Education Policy
Major achievements of the EU in the area of Home Affairs:
Freedom: Schengen Agreement
Security: Europol, Eurojust, Frontex
Justice: Civil Law cooperation
Major achievements of the EU in the area of Foreign Affairs:
External Security
Trade: second largest export/import region in the world
Development Cooperation: largest provider of development aid
