European Union

Question 1

When did the UK become a member of the EU?

Answer 1

1973

Question 2

How many members does the EU have?

What’s its population?

Answer 2

27 members

500m population

Question 3

What is the budget of the EU?

Answer 3

About 148bn a year (2020)

Question 4

What is the biggest item of expenditure (40%)

Answer 4

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which provides subsidies for farmers

Question 5

What is the European Council?

Answer 5

Compromises of elected heads of government from each members state. Meet 4 times a year, sets legislative agenda for coming months. President is Charles Michel

Question 6

What is the European Commission?

Answer 6

Civil service and executive of the EU. Consists of 28 Commissioners - one appointed by each member state. It has the monopoly on initiating policy. President is Von Der Layen. Appointed rather than elected so criticised for being in democratic and unaccountable

Question 7

What is European Parliament

Answer 7

705 members of European Parliament directly elected using proportional representation and the party list system. UK had 73 MEPs divided amount 12 multi-member constituency’s depending on population. UK no longer has an MEPs. President is David Sassoli

Question 8

What is Council of the EU?

Answer 8

Compromises of 27 departmental ministers from member states. Composition changes depending on what is being debated. For ex, if topic is education, education ministers of the 27 member states would sit on counci. Uses Qualified Majority voting to pass legislation, which requires approval of 55% of member states and 65% of EU population. This is to stop huh counties being outvoted by allowances of smaller counties - six month rotating presidency

Question 9

What is European Court of Justice?

Answer 9

ECJ has 27 judges. One from each state. Rules on issues such as competition and employment law, can impose fines

Question 10

How is legislative agenda set?

Answer 10

By heads of governemnt in European Council

Question 11

Who introduced and has a monopoly of introducing new laws?

Answer 11

European Commission, although European Parliament and the citizenry can ask Commisson to introduce new laws

Question 12

How are proposals debated on making new laws?

Answer 12

Debated by European Parliament and Council of the EU and both must agree for bill to become law. This process is called the “ordinary legislative procedure”

Question 13

What happens if an agreement can’t be made on a new law?

Answer 13

Set up a conciliation Comitee, compromising of member sit the European Parliament and Council of EU to thrash out compromise

Question 14

When was Euro Lauched?

Answer 14

2002

Question 15

How many counties joined Eurozone?

Answer 15

18 joined, ten did not (including UK)

Question 16

What encouraged some countries to borrow heavily?

Answer 16

Low interest rates throughout Eurozone

Question 17

What happened in 2008?

Answer 17

Banking crisis - loans became much more expensive and harder to come by, sparking debt crisis in PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain)

Which had to be bailed out and had severe austerity measures

Question 18

What have economists argued as a result of 2008 banking crisis

Answer 18

You can’t have a monetary union (involves two or kore states sharing money) without a fiscal union (central control over spending and taxes)

Question 19

What was Immigration crisis 2015?

Answer 19

EU come under further pressure following mass migration into Europe during 2015

Estimated 1.1m people entered EU via Greece and Italy, many fleeing civil war in Syria

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed refugees, but following Pairs atrocities in Nov 2015 and mess sex attacks committed by migrants in Cologne and other German cities on New Year’s Eve public opinion swung against her

As a result the passport-free Schengen zone has come under enormous pressure and the future of the zone is now in doubt

Question 20

What has the imigration crisis sharpened the debate over?

Answer 20

Over the EUs future. Some people want to see “ever closer union” with increasing central control of member state economics, including tax and spending and also a foreign policy and defence

Others want to see a looser federation based on trade, where individual states retain control over wide areas of policy including defence and taxation

Question 21

What happened in 2016 referendum

Answer 21

Vote was 51% leave

49% stay

Question 22

What happened to David Cameron

Answer 22

Resigned

Theresa May put in charge

Question 23

What was included in Mays 2017 speech January

Answer 23

UK would leave the single market and seek best possible trade deal with EU

Question 24

What happened in Feb 2017?

Answer 24

HOC voted 498 to 114 to back gov European Union bill, allowing Theresa May to trigger A50

Question 25

March 2017?

Answer 25

May triggers A50

Question 26

What happened during 2019

Answer 26

She tried and failed 3 times to get her withdrawal agreement through Commons. The result was gridlock

May reigned and BJ became leader of Conservative party

Who pledges to leave EU by 31 October but fails to get deal through

Question 27

What does BJ have to do after failed deal.

Answer 27

Agree an extension and with support of labour proposes a general election on December 12

Which Tories win exponentially

Question 28

January 23, 2020?

Answer 28

EU withdrawal agreement receives royal assent

And Jan 31st 2020 UK leaves EU

Question 29

What is Council of Europe?

Answer 29

Not part of EU

Founded 1949

47 member states

The council of Europe’s court is the European Court of Human Rights based in Strasbourg

Clashed with UK multiple times, most recently on UKs blanket ban on prisoners to vote