The EU political system Flashcards
What do EU institutions not fit nicely into in the way that national governments do?
The categories of executive, legislature and judiciary
What is the EU’s legislative branch divided into?
Two ‘houses’. The Council of the EU is the equivalent of an upper house where national governments are represented, and the European Parliament is the equivalent of a lower house where member states are represented roughly according to population size
What does the CJEU act as?
The independent judicial branch
What does the European Commission act as?
The executive branch - it does not have the power of national cabinets but resembles them in the sense that each commissioner will have a policy portfolio. It makes proposals to the legislative branch and is responsible for implementing laws. The Council of the EU also performs some executive functions
List the two different types of EU activity
History making decisions and day-to-day decisions
What are history making decisions?
The result of bargains between the most powerful member states - decided in the European Council
Who do day-to-day decisions involve?
The European Commission, Council of the EU and European Parliament
Explain the passage EU legislation must go through
- The European Commission will propose draft legislation
- Governments will scrutinise legislation through the council of the EU and MEPs will through European Parliament
- If approved, the law will then be implemented by national governments, with the European Commission overseeing this
What is the democratic deficit?
The erosion of democratic accountability that occurs when decision making authority is transferred from national governments to EU institutions. This is because national governments are directly accountable to voters and EU institutions are not. Also refers to the distance between the EU and its citizens and the fact that many citizens do not identify with or fully understand the EU and have opposed key parts of the integration process
Why is it wrong to think that the EU uses its status as a supranational body to tyrannically impose legislation upon its member states?
- Mostly have autonomy in technical areas like setting interest rates
- Little power over tax and spend
- Relatively small budget
- It is up to national governments to implement EU policy
List the arguements for why there is a democratic deficit in the EU
- Legislation is initiated by the European Commission, which is not directly elected
- National governments can be outvoted under QMV, meaning the will of the national electorate would be thwarted
- The directly elected European Parliament is not sufficiently powerful
- European Parliament elections are dominated by national issues and turnout is low
- Citizens do not understand or identify with the EU as it is too distant and complex
- Citizens have opposed key developments in integration
List the arguements for why there is not a democratic deficit in the EU?
- The European Commission is okay to implement legislation because it is accountable to the European Parliament and its key personnel are nominated by national governments
- Supranational institutions only have autonomy in technical matters for the most part
- National governments are represented in the Council of the EU and the European Council, where bargaining is the norm
- The European Parliament shares legislative power with the Council of the EU in most policy areas, meaning there is a system of checks and balances in place
- The EU does not have power over key areas of national life, like taxation, social security and education
Where are the powers of the EU set out?
In the treaties of the Union
What is a treaty of the Union?
A binding agreement between member states setting out the EU’s objectives, institutional framework, decision making processes and competences
What is a competence?
The legal capacity to act in a particular area
