The EU: Formation and Development

Question 1

major developments of the EU

Answer 1

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

Question 2

1951 – formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

Answer 2

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

Question 3

1957 – creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market

Answer 3

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

Question 4

1973 – expansion of the EEC

Answer 4

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

Question 5

1993 – establishment of the European Union (EU)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

1995 – start of the passport-free Schengen Area

Answer 6

1995 – start of the passport-free Schengen Area

as part of the free-movement of people, passport controls at frontiers are removed

Question 7

2002 – introduction of Euro notes and coins in the Eurozone

Answer 7

2002 – introduction of Euro notes and coins in the Eurozone

12 states started using the same physical currency and 19 do today

Question 8

2004 – European Constitution

Answer 8

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

Question 9

development and growth of the EU: GROWTH OF MEMBERSHIP

Answer 9

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

Question 10

development and growth of the EU: POLITICAL CONCERNS DRIVING GROWTH IN MEMBERSHIP

Answer 10

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

Question 11

development and growth of the EU: DEFENCE AGAINST COMMUNISM

Answer 11

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

Question 12

development and growth of the EU: FUNCTIONALISM

Answer 12

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

Question 13

what is federalism?

Answer 13

legal and political structures where power is distributed between two distinct levels of government on the basis that neither is subordinate to the other

Question 14

development and growth of the EU: NEO-FUNCTIONALISM

Answer 14

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

Question 15

factors fostering EU integration / factors behind the growth of the EU

Answer 15

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

Question 16

EU enlargement: 1958 - 1995

Answer 16

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

Question 17

EU enlargement: 2004 - 2017

Answer 17

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

Question 18

key treaties and agreements of the EU

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Rome Treaty 1957

Answer 19

set up the EEC, including the institutional framework

Question 20

Single European Act 1986

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Treaty on the European Union / Maastricht Treaty 1992

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Amsterdam Treaty 1997

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

Nice Treaty 2000

Answer 23

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

Question 24

The European Constitution 2004

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Lisbon Treaty 2007

Answer 25

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

Question 26

economic and monetary union: the positive view of the introduction of the euro

Answer 26

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

Question 27

economic and monetary union: the negative view of the introduction of the euro

Answer 27

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)