Week 1: Origins of EU

Question 1

How many countries does the EU have?

Answer 1

27

Question 2

What is the population of the EU?

Answer 2

446 million (germany with the highest population)

Question 3

When is EU day?

Answer 3

9 May

Question 4

President of EU?

Answer 4

Ursula Von Der Leyen

Question 5

Capital of Europe?

Answer 5

Brussels

Question 6

From which body was the European Union converted from?

Answer 6

European Community

Question 7

Some inspirations for the EU integration from international cooperation on the global level?

Answer 7

politics: UN in 1945 / Defense: NATO (1949) / Economics: WTO (1995), OECD (1960)

Question 8

Plans of International Cooperation in Europe?

Answer 8

Politics: 1946 proposal by Churchill for “United States of Europe”; 1948 in Hague conference “Congress of Europe”, promotion of the “European Idea”// Defense: (1950 Pleven Plan for a European Army // Economics: 1950 Schuman plan

Question 9

What did the Paris treaties stablished and who were the signatories?

Answer 9

1- ECSC in 1951; 2- EDC in 1952. The signatories were France, Italy, Germany and the Benelux countries.

Question 10

Who and how was created the European Coal and steel community?

Answer 10

Robert Schuman is considered one of the fathers of Europe, in his declaration of May 9, 1950 (considered Europe Day now), he proposed to place the Franco-German production of coal and steel community under a common High Authority. His plan led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community

Question 11

What was the Schuman Declaration/ Plan?

Answer 11

The Schuman Declaration was presented by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950. It proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, whose members would combine coal and steel production. The ECSC was the first supranational European institution.

Question 12

Main Institutions Created by the ECSC Treaty and its roles:

Answer 12

1. HIGH AUTHORITY: 9 independent members chosen by MS governments. Decision-making autonomy
2. COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: Power of policy making. Was set up mainly as a result of the Benelux concern if the High Authority had too much power, and there was no forum through which the states could exercise some control. It had some formal control over High authority’s actions
3. COMMON ASSEMBLY: Chosen by MS parliaments. Power of review and advisory role.
4. COURT OF JUSTICE: Chosen by MS governments. was created to settle conflicts between the states, between the organs of the Community, and between the states and the organs. Power of adjudication, and judicial control.
5. THE CONSULTATIVE COMITTEE: Advisory role.

Question 13

What were the two main ECSC crisis?

Answer 13

1. Coal Market crisis: cheap oil imports and a fall in energy consumption combined to produce an overcapacity in coal production. Coal and steel have declined in importance with other energy sources
2. Empty chair crisis: France did not agree with the new proposals made by Hallstein (finicing the CAP and giving more budgetary powers to the European Parliament and greater role to the European Commission) and decided to not attend the council meetings until it had its way

Question 14

what was the Luxembourg compromise?

Answer 14

Established after the Empty chair crisis and stipulates that if a Member State believes that its vital interests are at stake, negotiations have to continue until a universally acceptable compromise is reached.

Question 15

In which year was created the European Defense Community?

Answer 15

1952

Question 16

What were the motivation to create the European Defence Community?

Answer 16

1. to the background of the Cold War and the outbreak of the Korean War, many Western politicians and military strategists took the view that there was a need for greater Western European cooperation in the field of defense.
2. a pressing need to integrate West Germany- which was not a member of NATO- into the Western Alliance.

Question 17

What was the Pleven Plan?

Answer 17

the French Prime Minister, Rene Pleven, launched proposals in October 1950 about the creation, for a common defense, of a European Army under the authority of the political institutions of a united Europe.

Question 18

Who were the first signatories of the European Defense Community?

Answer 18

The six: France, Italy, Germany and the Benelux countries

Question 19

What was the initial structure of the EDC?

Answer 19

similar to the ECSC: a Joint Defense Commission, a Council of Ministers, an advisory Assembly, and a Court of Justice

Question 20

Why did not the EDC work?

Answer 20

1.Due to ratification problems in France and Italy
2. The thought of rearming Germany was unease
3. French governments will not have sole control over their forces
4. Doubts about the efficiency of an integrated army
5. UK (strongest European military power) was not participating
6. With the end of the Korean War and the death of Stalin, the EDC was not as necessary as it had seemed

Question 21

What was the West European Union?

Answer 21

Following the collapse of the EDC, the WEU was a loosely structured, essentially consultative, primarily defense-orientated, organization that, amongst other things, permitted West German rearmament subject to various constraints. It also enabled West Germany to become a member of NATO.
It took the form of an extension of the Brussels Treaty for collaboration in economic, social and cultural matters and for collective defense.

Question 22

When and who founded the WEU?

Answer 22

It was signed in 1948 initially by the Benelux countries, France and the UK. However, in 1954 West Germany and Italy agreed to accede the Brussels treaty and incorporate new arrangements to WEU. It came into effect in 1955.

Question 23

What is the meaning of “Quasi-Federal”?

Answer 23

The quasi-federal system is characterised by an unequal distribution of power between the central government and the states: More power is given to the Central government.

Question 24

How was the WEU dissoluted?

Answer 24

The Lisbon Treaty, which came into force in 2009, led to the formal dissolution of the WEU, by this point, the WEU had transferred all its remaining functions to the European Union.

Question 25

What did the Treaties of Rome stablished? When was it founded?

Answer 25

It stablished the European Economic Community (EEC treaty) and the treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom treaty). They were founded in 1957.

Question 26

How did the Treaties of Rome start? How was the road to the treaties of Rome?

Answer 26

1955- Messina Summit of Foreign Ministers: The Foreign Ministers of the ECSC Six met at Messina in June 1955 to discuss proposals that had been made by the three Benelux countries for further economic integration. The UK was invited to participate but withdrew when it became apparent that UK hopes of limiting developments to the establishment of a loose free trade area were not acceptable to the six.
1956- The Spaak report: the Foreign Ministers accepted the report of the Spaak Committee (Belgian foreign minister) and used it as the basis for negotiations which in 1957, produced the two Treaties of Rome: The European Economic community (EEC) and the Euratom. They stablished those in order to reach the integration of the whole economy instead of partial integration.

Question 27

Talk about the EEC treaty:

Answer 27

• The EEC treaty was by far the most important one
• Future rules on trade were set out clearly, but only guiding principles were laid down for social policy and agricultural policy.
• Its Article 2 set out the following objectives: 1- a clear ideology (free market, liberal, non-interventionist capitalism); 2-competition was seen as requiring considerable intervention from the center; 3- There were some provisions for non-market policies (e.g. agriculture, social policy, transport policy)
• establishment of a common market: free trade area (removal of tariffs and quantitative restrictions on trade)
• common external tariff (CET) towards a customs union; free competition between the member states
• free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital.

Question 28

Talk about the Euratom Treaty:

Answer 28

• Policy concerns were about the atomic level field
• Covered many vitally important areas of the activity: promotion of research, dissemination of information, health and safety, supplies, a nuclear common market etc.

Question 29

Main institutions in the EEC and Euratom treaties:

Answer 29

(1) the High Authority under the ECSC: the principal policy initiator, it would have some decision-making powers and responsibilities for policy implementation.
(2) A Council of Ministers: principal decision-making body. It specified the circumstances in which it must take its decisions unanimously, or majority and qualified majority votes.
(3) An Assembly: advisory and (limited) supervisory powers. To be elected ‘by direct universal suffrage by a uniform procedure in all Member States’.

Question 30

What was the “Merger Treaty”?

Answer 30

• It was the treaty establishing a single Council and a single commission of the European Communities that came into force in 1967.
• It established a single Council of Ministers for all three Communities (EURATOM, EEC and ECSC).
• It also merged the High Authority of the ECSC, the Commission of Euratom, and the EEC Commission with one Commission.
• The treaties and communities themselves were not merged

Question 31

What was the “ Treaty Amending Certain Budgetary Provisions of the Treaties (signed in 1970) and the Treaty Amending Certain Financial Provisions of the Treaties (signed in 1975)”?

Answer 31

These two treaties laid down budgetary procedures and powers between the Community institutions. The 1975 Treaty also established a Court of Auditors to examine all revenue and expenditure of the Community.

Question 32

What was “The Act Concerning the Election of the Representatives of the Assembly by Direct Universal Suffrage”?

Answer 32

Signed in 1976 and ratified by all member states by 1978, this act provided the legal base for direct elections to the European Parliament, but did not increase the powers of the Parliament.

Question 33

Which countries signed the treaty of accession in 1973?

Answer 33

Denmark, Ireland and the UK

Question 34

Which countries signed the treaty of accession in 1981?

Answer 34

Greece

Question 35

Which countries signed the treaty of accession in 1986?

Answer 35

Spain and Portugal