The EU Flashcards

Question

What are the key features of the Schengen Agreement 1985?

Answer 1

Removed internal border controls, so effectively created a single travel area within the EEC/EU.

Answer 2

The UK and Ireland secured an opt-out from the agreement.

Answer 3

Created the EU, and established a timetable for economic and monetary union and increased cooperation between member states in foreign and security policy

Answer 4

Austria, Finland and Sweden joined bringing membership to 15

Answer 5

Extended the role of the EU into further areas such as some aspects of immigration and security

Answer 6

Eleven countries abolished their national currencies and adopted the euro. This marked another significant stage in economic integration. It meant monetary policy for those states, such as setting interest rates, was in the hands of the European Central Bank, not national governments

Answer 7

Four countries did not join the eurozone including the UK. Since 1999, a further eight EU member countries have adopted the euro.

Answer 8

Created a European security and defence policy

Answer 9

Created the largest single influx of new members, mainly eastern European countries that gained independence after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

Answer 10

Cyprus, Czech Republic. Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta. Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia all joined. They were joined by Bulgaria and Romania in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Answer 11

This further reformed EU institutions. Qualified majority vote was extended to over 45 policy areas in the Council of Ministers, and it created the important posts of President of the European Council and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Answer 12

By the margin of 52%-48%, the UK voted to leave the EU. It was the first member state to leave, although Norway rejected joining in a referendum held in 1972 after its government had negotiated membership

Answer 13

The UK left the EU, leaving it with 27 members. As of 2022 9 countries are wishing to join the EU; Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Answer 14

All EU member states are part of the single market, in which the four freedoms operate. Most EU nations have also chosen to join the Schengen Area, a group of 26 European countries (22 of whom are EU members) between which there are no border controls.

Answer 15

The EU is based on democratic values: the European Parliament is elected and any country wishing to join the EU must be a democracy.

Answer 16

The initial lack of a coordinated EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw the temporary reimposition of internal border controls, different approaches to lockdown and squabbles over the sale of personal protective equipment (PPE]. It made for a poor public image of European unity and cohesion. France, Germany and several other European countries rejected EU officials’ attempts to lift controls on the export of protective medical gear. Some of the worst-hit countries, such as Italy, complained of less badly affected nations denying help and supplies.

Answer 17

The pandemic also saw unprecedented intervention by the European Central Bank (ECB) and a coordinated response by EU leaders. After delays and lengthy negotiations, in April 2020 EU finance ministers agreed a €500 billion rescue package for European countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. A few weeks later, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called on member countries to back a €750 billion recovery plan, commenting that: ‘The crisis has huge externalities and spill overs across all countries and none of that can be fixed by any single country alone.’ Overall, the pandemic ultimately pulled the economies and public finances of member countries closer together

Answer 18

• no parliamentary Act could conflict with EU law • the Brexit vote saw a clear mismatch in opinion between the Remain majority among MPs, and a slim Leave majority among the population

Answer 19

• no parliamentary Act could conflict with EU law • the Brexit vote saw a clear mismatch in opinion between the Remain majority among MPs, and a slim Leave majority among the population

Answer 20

• made it harder for governments to bail out struggling industries, as EU approval needed to be sought to ensure competition rules were being adhered to • created stronger political partnerships between the UK government and our EU neighbours • tortuous progress of Brexit through parliament between 2017 and 2020 also created an unusual gridlock in UK parliamentary procedure, and briefly in 2019 saw the chamber seize control of the parliamentary timetable from the government

Answer 21

• UK judges had to give precedence to EU law when making judgements • factortame produced a number of significant judgements on British constitutional law, and was the first time that courts held that they had power to restrain the application of an Act of Parliament pending trial and ultimately to disapply that Act when it was found to be contrary to EU law

Answer 22

• Conservatives who were most divided by Europe. Sharp divisions emerged between Eurosceptics • the EU served as a rallying and unifying issue for some parties, including the Welsh and Scottish nationalists. The Liberal Democrats, too, embraced a pro-EU stance, and promised to revoke Article 50 in their 2019 election manifesto.