UK-European Union

Question 1

treaties

treaty of rome

Answer 1

1957, est ECC

Question 2

treaties

single european act

Answer 2

1985, single market est and QMV used as voting system

Question 3

treaties

schengen agreement

Answer 3

1985, removed internal border control

Question 4

treaties

maastricht treaty

Answer 4

1992, created EU and monitary union

Question 5

treaties

eurozone

Answer 5

1999, euro created along with central european bank

Question 6

treaties

lisbon treaty

Answer 6

2007, president of the EU and 45 more area agreed upon using QMV

Question 7

aims

peace and stability

Answer 7

• promote peace and encourage democracy
• ECC aimed to heal 2 WWs and has expanded since
• collapse of USSR saw the expansion of the EU and the dismantling og the iron curtain

Question 8

Aims

economic growth

Answer 8

• single market has created many jobs within poorer countries
• fairer distribution of wealth

Question 9

aims

rights and freedoms

Answer 9

• has had mixed success
• has allowed for easy migration
• reciprocal healthcare within any EU country
• workers rights have improved (time directive 2003)

Question 10

aims

Integration

Answer 10

• ‘ever closer union’
• adoption of a flag, anthem, passports, and EU citizenship

Question 11

EU institutions

Executive

Answer 11

• European council (heads of state) have power of agenda setting ,meet 4x a year
• european commission (27 nominated politicians from each member state) who propose new laws , drafts budget , represents during negotiations

Question 12

EU institutions

legislative

Answer 12

• european parliment ( 705 MEPs directly elected in each member state) can approve budgets, ammend and vote on laws proposed by commission
• Council of Eu (ministers from each member state) policy debate around different areas and negotiation eg japan trade deal

Question 13

EU institutions

Judiciary

Answer 13

• european court of justice , highest court of appeal
• interprets EU law , checks nations and the EU itself
• made up of judges appointed by each member state

Question 14

supranational

Answer 14

Aurthority above the nation eg EU commission

Question 15

Intergovmental

Answer 15

national government co-operation eg european council

Question 16

democratic defficit in EU political system ?

Answer 16

yes
- lack of direct democracy apart from MEPs
- thick layers of bureaucracy which make the sysetm difficult to understand eg council of eu and eu council 2 separate things
- too many complex systems not involving direct voting

no
- citizens of the EU directly vote for MEPs who act as representatives
- supranational bodies are indirectly elected as MEPs vote for those who are appointed to EU commission

Question 17

Impact on Britain

5

Answer 17

constitution- EU law ha sbeen removed as one of the ssources of the constitution, human rights no longer have the ‘double lock’ of EU law
Sovereignty- now EU law can conflict with UK statute law and eu no longer takes precedence over parliment eg before , 1990 factortame case
Referendums- brexit has exposed the issues around how the public are informed about either outcome of a referendum,or the complexity of the issue cannot be simplified to yes or no
government- beforehand the government had to follow competition laws , by putting caps on certain buissnesses , no longer have to
political parties- extremely controversial topic which split in conservative party eg brexit party

Question 18

Single Market advantages and disadvantages

Answer 18

Advantages:
Free movement of goods, services, people and capital
Estimated to have created more than 2.5 million Jobs and increased EU GDP by 15%
Coordination for 2008 crisis

Disadvantages:
some regulations are costly for small businesses

Question 19

Eurozone advantages and disadvantages

Answer 19

Advantages:
Integration as 19 states are part of this zone
Ends exchange rate uncertainty and transaction costs

Disadvantages:
Loss of sovereignity and fiscal control
2012 fiscal compact treaty paved the way for further economic integration