Définitions

Question 1

The Treaty of Lisbon (5P)

Answer 1

• Modernise how the EU functions
• Make decision making more flexible
• Adapt the rules of the existing treaties.
• Reforms the architecture of the union.
• Strengthens the union’s external representation.

Question 2

The European Ombudsman (4P)

Answer 2

• Established by the treaty of Lisbon.
• The current Ombudsman is Islan.
• Appointed by aye European Parliament (5y).
• Any European citizen may appeal to the Ombudsman to investigate a European institution on the grounds of maladministration.

Question 3

The Schengen Area

Answer 3

• group of 26 European countries that have abolished passport and immigration controls at their common borders.
• It functions as a single country for international travel purposes with a common visa policy.
• Joining Schengen entails eliminating internal border controls with the other Schengen members while strengthening external border controls with non-Schengen states.

Question 4

The Eurozone

Answer 4

• Refers to a currency union among the EU member states that have adopted the euro as their sole official currency.
• It has 19 member states (the latest member being Lithuania(2015) and it is the largest economy in the world.

Question 5

The stability and growth pact

Answer 5

• Agreement among the 28 member states to facilitate and maintain the stability of the Economic and Monetary Union.
• It consists of fiscal monitoring and a yearly recommendation for policy actions to ensure a full compliance with the SGP.
• If a member breaches the limit for government deficit and debt: the surveillance and request for corrective action will intensify (through the Declaration of an Excessive Deficit Procedure).
• If no corrective action is taken: economic sanctions.

Question 6

The CAP

Answer 6

The Common Agricultural Policy is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes.

Question 7

Agricultural subsidy

Answer 7

is a sum of money paid to farmers or agrobusiness to:

• supplement their income,
• manage the supply of agricultural commodities
• influence the cost and supply of such commodities (coton, milk, rice, sugar, tobacco…)

Question 8

International trade

Answer 8

Exchange of goods, capital, and services across international boundaries or territories.

Question 9

NAFTA

Answer 9

North American Free Trade Agreement. Signed in 1994 between the USA, Mexico and Canada. It is the most comprehensive regional trade agreement ever negotiated by the USA.

Question 10

MERCOSUR

Answer 10

Mercado comun del Sur. Signed between Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay (early 1990’s).

• June 2012: Paraguay is suspended and replaced by Venezuela.
• It has become the 3rd largest market in the world after NAFTA and the EU.

Question 11

Free trade

Answer 11

is a market model in which trade in goods and services between or within countries flow unhindered by government-imposed restrictions to trade include taxes and other legislation, such as tariff and no-tariff trade barriers.

Question 12

Protectionism

Answer 12

is the economic policy of restraining trade between nations;
- through methods such as high tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas to discourage imports.

Question 13

The WTO

Answer 13

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade.

Question 14

The Doha Round/Development Agenda

Answer 14

is a round of negotiation, which started in November 2001 in Doha, Qatar.

• Objective: to lower trade barriers around the world permitting free trade between countries of varying prosperity.
• Talks are difficult because of a divide between the developed nations and the developing countries.
• Several meeting took place and in 2011 David Cameron called for an end of the Doha Round.

Question 15

Fair trade

Answer 15

is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency, respect, and greater equity in international trade.
- It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South.

Question 16

Trade blocs

Answer 16

Groups of countries that have established special preferential arrangements governing trade between members.

Question 17

Free-Trade areas

Answer 17

a group of countries that promote free trade between member nations, but permit each nation to maintain its own, and perhaps different, trade restrictions with non-members.

Question 18

Customs Union

Answer 18

is a group of countries that eliminates trade barriers among members, but maintains a common external tariff on trade with non-members.

Question 19

Common Market

Answer 19

is a customs union which also attempts to develop a common policy in matters other than international trade.

Question 20

Economic union

Answer 20

This is the final step toward full economic integration.
An economic union is a common market plus.
It involves the harmonization of national tax codes, labour standards, the creation of a common currency, and the establishment of an areawide central bank to conduct monetary policy.