The EU: Formation and Development Flashcards
major developments of the EU
1951 – formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
1957 – creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market
1973 – expansion of the EEC
1993 – establishment of the European Union (EU)
1995 – start of the passport-free Schengen Area
2002 – introduction of Euro notes and coins in the Eurozone
2004 – European Constitution
1951 – formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
1951 – formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
6 members – Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany
a ‘supranational’ institution that decided how much coal and steel each country produced
each country was no longer in control of its own steel and coal production, so no country could re-arm and produce the materials necessary to go to war
1957 – creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market
1957 – creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market
EEC was established through the Treaty of Rome
the 6 countries of the ECSC set up a common market to facilitate trade and economic growth
the aim was to bring about peace, stability and prosperity for the 6 member states
1973 – expansion of the EEC
1973 – expansion of the EEC
the number of members states rose to 9 after Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined
the Single European Act (1986) led to the creation of the single market and the attempted elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade
more powers are passed from the states to the EEC
1993 – establishment of the European Union (EU)
1993 – establishment of the European Union (EU)
the Maastricht Treaty led to the completion of the Single Market, with the ‘four freedoms’ of movement of goods, services, people and money being established
1995 – start of the passport-free Schengen Area
1995 – start of the passport-free Schengen Area
as part of the free-movement of people, passport controls at frontiers are removed
2002 – introduction of Euro notes and coins in the Eurozone
2002 – introduction of Euro notes and coins in the Eurozone
12 states started using the same physical currency and 19 do today
2004 – European Constitution
2004 – European Constitution
an attempt to simplify and put in one place the treaties of the European Union
but the idea of a constitution was binned after it was rejected by voters in the Netherlands and France
development and growth of the EU: GROWTH OF MEMBERSHIP
the EEC quickly led to increased trade and prosperity in the 6 member states and states outside the EEC, like the UK, looked on in envy at the economic growth that these countries were achieving together
despite the UK’s attempts to emulate the success of the EEC through the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), by the early 1960s the UK had applied for membership of the EEC
the EEC, and later the EU, attracted more and more countries over the coming decades and by 2015, the EU had 28 member states
development and growth of the EU: POLITICAL CONCERNS DRIVING GROWTH IN MEMBERSHIP
it was not just economic concerns that encouraged new members to join, both political and security concerns also meant that states were eager to join the EEC and the EU
many states in Europe has been through turbulent times in the latter half of the 20th century
some had been under right-wing dictatorships like Greece, Spain and Portugal, while others including Poland, Bulgaria and Estonia were part of the Soviet bloc or even part of the Soviet Union itself
development and growth of the EU: DEFENCE AGAINST COMMUNISM
defence against communism was a factor in bringing states together in the early days of the EEC
for countries that were previously under Soviet control, membership of the EU was a sign of their political maturity
joining the EU meant joining the club of the most respectable democracies in Europe, alongside the likes of France, the Netherlands and the UK
so with human rights respected and democracy embedded through the EU, these countries could leave the past behind them
development and growth of the EU: FUNCTIONALISM
another theory that explains European integration is functionalism
the EU serves as a function, as do its institutions and laws
while not all states or politicians believe that there should be a federal United States of Europe and are not ideologically driven towards federalism, they have taken a rational approach to EU membership, weighing up the costs and benefits of joining and deciding that membership of the EU is actually in the nation’s best interests
what is federalism?
legal and political structures where power is distributed between two distinct levels of government on the basis that neither is subordinate to the other
development and growth of the EU: NEO-FUNCTIONALISM
neo-functionalism is another explanation for the growth of the EU
neo-functionalists say that greater European integration is inevitable because each stage of cooperation opens up the possibility and need for further cooperation and integration
for example, once there is a single market for goods and services aiming to increase trade between participating states, it is logical that there should be a single currency to trade in
similarly, once states have agreed that a passport-free area in the single market will facilitate trade, but will also be open to abuse by criminals, it is logical that there should be greater police and border-control cooperation
factors fostering EU integration / factors behind the growth of the EU
envy at the economic growth that the EEC countries were achieving together (led the UK to apply for membership)
political and security concerns
defence against communism
functionalism
neo-functionalism
EU enlargement: 1958 - 1995
1958 – 6 members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany, these were the original and founder countries of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC)
1973 – 9 members: Denmark, Republic of Ireland and the UK join, the UK joined because it felt it was missing opportunities as the EEC countries were growing economically faster
1981 – 10 members: Greece joins with the aim of entrenching democracy after the military dictatorship
1986 – 12 members: Portugal and Spain join with the aim of entrenching democracy after the fascist dictatorships
1995 – 15 members: Austria, Finland and Sweden join, Western democracies were neutral during the Cold War, which had now ended, enabling the membership of these countries
EU enlargement: 2004 - 2017
2004 – 25 members: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia join, these 8 former Soviet or Soviet bloc countries were entrenching democracy while Malta and Cyprus had become capitalist, meaning they all met the accession criteria by 2004
2007 – 27 members: Bulgaria and Romania join, a further example of former Soviet bloc countries entrenching democracy and capitalism
2013 – 28 members: Croatia joins, an example of a former Yugoslav country entrenching democracy and capitalism
2017 – candidate countries for EU membership are Turkey, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo are also potential candidates
key treaties and agreements of the EU
Rome Treaty 1957
Single European Act 1986
Treaty on the European Union / Maastricht Treaty 1992
Amsterdam Treaty 1997
Nice Treaty 2000
The European Constitution 2004
Lisbon Treaty 2007
Rome Treaty 1957
set up the EEC, including the institutional framework
Single European Act 1986
made the provision for the single market
this marked the biggest transfer of sovereignty from states to the EU in order to make the single market work
Treaty on the European Union / Maastricht Treaty 1992
made the change from the EEC to the EU, including further integration and cooperation
established greater powers for European Parliament, more use of qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers and also made provisions for the single currency and the Social Chapter
this meant that the European project was not just focused on economies but also on the pillars of justice, home affairs and foreign policy
Amsterdam Treaty 1997
strengthened foreign policy cooperation
gave greater powers to the European Parliament, further use of qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers and made some preparation for eastward enlargement
this was essentially widening and deepening of the EU (widening and deepening is the process by which the EU has attempted to expand membership while furthering integration)
Nice Treaty 2000
made further preparations for eastward enlargement and allowed for the further use of qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers
this signified a further widening and deepening of the EU
The European Constitution 2004
intended to replace all previous treaties into one document and allow for more powers for the Commission and Parliament
an exit clause was also suggested
this would enable further integration and transform the EU into more of a state, but the idea of a constitution was withdrawn
Lisbon Treaty 2007
established more powers for the Commission and Parliament
led to the formation of the European External Action Service, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission, President of the Council and President of the Commission
signalled further integration
economic and monetary union: the positive view of the introduction of the euro
the introduction of the euro as the single European currency is often seen as the most significant act of integration of European countries since the European project began
it was clearly a major step towards binding the countries of Europe together in an economic, trade and political bloc, making war not only incredible but impossible
it may also be seen as a major advance towards political integration and even a step towards the establishment of a United States of Europe
economic and monetary union: the negative view of the introduction of the euro
for others, the euro is a symptom of the madness of the European project
they see it as a triumph of ideology and dogma over reality and common sense, as well as an attempt to bind different countries together culturally, politically and economically with a one size fits all approach
critics see the economic project as damaging to states, companies and individuals, and even as the factor behind the recent low growth and high unemployment in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal
(see case study on Greece)
