The European Union Flashcards
When was the European Union Founded?
1957
When did the UK join the European Economic Community (EEC)?
1973
When did the European Economic Community change its name to the European Union?
1992
When did the UK vote in the referendum to leave the EU?
2016
There are three basic types of voting, what are they?
Unanimity - All member states must agree;
Simple majority - a numerical majority of Member Sates or their representatives must agree (at least 15 out of the 28 Member States)
Qualified Majority - 55 percent of member states must vote in favour.
How many member states are there before the UK decided to leave the EU?
- now 27.
Which of the following counties is NOT a member state of the EU?
(a) Norway
(b) Germany
(c) Cyprus
(d) Ireland
(a) Norway
What does Art 50 TEU state?
It require a member state wishing to leave the EU to formally notify the European Council.
The UK government gave this normal notice to the EU council on 29 March 2017.
Explain the role of the European Commission?
Its grand objective is to be the ‘Guardian of the EU Treaties”
Its main functions include planning policies and proposing new laws.
It plays an important role in negotiating on behalf of EU as a whole.
How many members does the European Commission have?
28.
These are known as commissioners. Each member state has appointed one commissioner.
What is the Council of the European Union responsible for?
It has a legislative function and is responsible together with the European Parliament for passing the laws of the European Union proposed by the European Commission.
It also has an executive function. It will make international agreements.
What are the powers of the European Parliament?
It has 751 members and are directly elected every five years.
- It debates legislation. It can pass or reject laws, and it can also make amendments (but not in all cases)
- It supervises EU institutions and budgets.
- It establishes an EU budget (along with the Council of the EU).
What are the 5 most common types of cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union?
- Preliminary ruling procedure cases under Art 267 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
- Proceedings for failure to fulfil an obligation
- Actions for annulment
- Actions for failure to act
- Direct actions
What was the Court of Justice of the European Union formally known as?
European Court of Justice
Under Art 267 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, what does it state?
If a national court is unsure how to interoperate EU Law it may ask the Court of Justice of the Eu for advice. This advice is called the Preliminary ruling procedure
Sources of EU Law
There are three types of EU Law.
What are they?
*Treaties, Directives and Regulations
What type of EU Law is described as primary legislation?
Treaties
What type of EU Law is described as secondary legislation>
Directives and Regulations
What are Treaties?
It is a formal agreement between two or more nation states.
What are directives?
A “directive” is a legislative act that sets out a goal that all EU countries must achieve. However, it is up to the individual countries to devise their own laws on how to reach these goals.
For example “Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010” to improve better air quality
What are regulations?
A “regulation” is a binding legislative act. It must be applied in its entirety across the EU
What are Decisions?
A “decision” is binding on those to whom it is addressed (e.g. an EU country or an individual company) and is directly applicable.
What are Recommendations and Opinions?
A “recommendation” is not binding.A recommendation allows the institutions to make their views known and to suggest a line of action without imposing any legal obligation on those to whom it is addressed.
An “opinion” is an instrument that allows the institutions to make a statement in a non-binding fashion, in other words without imposing any legal obligation on those to whom it is addressed. An opinion is not binding
What are the three less important sources of EU Law?
Decisions
Recommendations
Opinions
