The EU Flashcards
1
Q
What was the Treaty of Paris 1951-1952?
A
- est. ECSC, enabling common market in coal and steel; est High Authority in order supervise market, monitor compliance with competition rules, ensure price transparency.
- membership = 6 countries; France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg.
- economic unity; limited - only 6 countries.
2
Q
What was the Treaty of Rome 1957-8?
A
- est EEC/created wider common market; laid foundations for ever close union/greatly expanded scope of institution into areas such as agriculture and common tariffs policy; same membership as ECSC.
3
Q
What was the first round of Enlargement 1973?
A
- first significant expansion in EEC membership; Denmark, Ireland, UK joined EEC; Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986).
4
Q
What was the Single European Act 1985 (effective from 1987)?
A
- single European market created; qualified majority voting (QMV) rather than unanimity adopted for votes on legislation to do with single market.
5
Q
What was the Schengen Agreement (1985)?
A
- removed internal border controls, so effectively created single travel area within EEC/EU; UK and Ireland secured opt out from agreement.
6
Q
What was the Maastricht Treaty (1992)?
A
- created EU; est timetable for economic/monetary union; increased cooperation between member states in foreign/security policy.
7
Q
What was the second round of Enlargement (1995)?
A
- more countries join; Austria, Finland, Sweden; membership - 15.
8
Q
What was the Amsterdam Treaty (1997, implemented in 1999)?
A
- extended role of EU into further area eg immigration and security.
- amended parts of Treaty of Rome - included updated integration clause.
9
Q
When was the Eurozone created and what is it?
A
1999
- eleven countries abolished national currencies/adopted euro; marked another significant stage in economic integration.
- monetary policy for those states eg setting interest rates in hand of European Central Bank, not national govs.
- 4 countries didn’t join including UK; since 1999, 8 more countries have adopted euro.
10
Q
What was the Nice Treaty (2001, implemented in 2003)?
A
- created European security and defence policy.
11
Q
What was the third round of enlargement (2004)?
A
- largest single influx of new members; mainly eastern European countries that gained independence after end of Cold War/collapse of Iron Curtain.
- Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia; joined by Bulgaria and Romania in 2007; Croatia in 2013.
12
Q
What was the Lisbon Treaty (2007, implemented in 2009)?
A
- reformed EU institutions; QMV extended to over 45 area in the Council of Ministers; created important posts of President of the European Council and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
13
Q
What was the UK referendum (2016, implemented 2020)?
A
- by margin of 52%-48%, UK voted to leave the EU; first member state to leave after its gov had negotiated membership.
14
Q
What are the aims of the EU?
A
- foster close economic ties in belief that countries that trade together become economically interdependent, making peace more likely.
- single market - trade cooperation; remove tariffs, quotas, taxes on trade; free movement of goods, services, capital, people.
- economic union - built around single market/monetary union; adopting single currency/handing over regulation to European Central Bank.
- sovereignty of member states; practice of unanimous voting.
- four freedoms (movement of goods, services, capital, people).
- social policy; Social Chapter introduced protections for workers/expanded EU regional policy.
15
Q
Arguments that the EU has fully achieved its aims
A
- Peace and stability; healed wounds from two world wars/transition to peace in Eastern Europe with creation of new democratic states; lots of infrastructure/support into these countries being democratic.
- Social policy - Treaty of Rome included commitment to free movement of people/principle of equal pay; to be apart of the single market, a county has to commit to democracy/human rights; European Pillar of Social Rights (2017) - more effective rights in: equal opportunities/access to labour market, fair working conditions, social protection/inclusion.
- Economic unity; no. of states adopting single currency/regulation over to European Central Bank (expanded to 23 states); single market - trade cooperation; fuelled economic growth, 450m consumers.
16
Q
Arguments that the EU hasn’t fully achieved aims
A
- Peace and stability; security of Europe has been enhanced through separate agreements independent form EU eg Interpol/NATO; EU cannot claim full responsibility; difficulties with Russia and Ukraine demonstrate that peace is limited, esp when EU hasn’t taken much action against Russia.
- Social policy - Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is area where sovereignty hasn’t been pooled; free movement of people became mainstream political issue in UK; Germany very willing to accept Syrian migrants, showing differing views/outlooks and potential for disagreement; Tories see area as one that should be left to individual members.
- Economic unity - countries may become too dependent on EU; crises in one country can pull down currency eg Greece; unable to pay debts -> huge financial bailout; weakened case to join euro.
17
Q
Key institutions - the European Commission
A
- location - Brussels
- membership/appointment process - one commissioner from each EU state; President nominated by European Council/must be approved by EP.
- function/powers - civil service/administrative branch of EU; plays key role in devising policy via directives; only body that can propose laws; manages policies/allocates funding.
- June 2020 - announced 9% reduction in funding for Common Agricultural Policy.
18
Q
Key institutions - Council of the EU
A
- location - Brussels
- membership/appointment process - gov ministers from each EU country, according to policy area being discussed; membership decided by national government.
- main decision making body; has legislative powers/coordinates economic policy; most decisions agreed using QMV, but in foreign policy/taxation, unanimity required.
- negotiates trade deals with non-EU states such as that in 2019 with Japan.
19
Q
Key institutions - European Council
A
- Brussels, except in April, June, October when in Luxembourg.
- Quarterly summit meetings of leaders of all member states; choses president to serve 5 year term.
- primarily agenda setting/defining overall direction/priorities; strategic body.
- oversaw Brexit negotiations with UK, laying down EU’s terms.
20
Q
Key institutions - European Central Bank
A
- Frankfurt
- main decision making body is the Governing Council, consisting of the six members of the Executive Board plus governors of central banks of the 20 euro area countries; has P/VP.
- manages euro/frames/implements monetary policy; aims to keep prices stable, supporting economic growth/job creation.
- takes decisions in monetary policy every six weeks; determines what should be done to keep inflation at 2% target.
21
Q
Key institutions - European Court of Justice
A
- Luxembourg
- divided into two courts; each court - judge appointed for renewable 6 year term by national govs; each court - judges select president who serves renewable term of 3 years.
- to uphold EU laws/ensure implementation fair/uniform; source of legal authority; decisions cannot be overruled by another body, or national govs.
- much of its work concerns trade/copyright; doesn’t always back European Commission eg 2020 - General Court overruled Commission’s decision to block merger of two UK mobile telecoms companies, o2 and Three.
22
Q
Key institutions - European Parliament
A
- Strasbourg, some meetings in Luxembourg/Brussels.
- Post-Brexit, contains 720 members directly elected my member states; number of MEPs determined by size.
- approves budget; amends/vetoes EU legislation as proposed by Council of EU and drafted by Commission; cannot propose legislation.
- 2019 - approved new EU copyright law; required social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter to take more responsibility.
23
Q
How has the EU impacted the UK in terms of policy?
A
- Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy; most dramatically impacted.
- financial support for farmers; UK gets less from CAP than contributes; encourages practices that damage environment, benefits landowners, increase price of food produce, stops farms from developing world competing.
- equal access to UK wages for EU fishing fleets; large size of UK fishing zone; blamed for decline in UK fishing industry.
- move to single market -> 80% of all regulation on production, sale, distribution originated in EU.
24
Q
How has the EU not impacted the UK in terms of policy?
A
- many areas remained unaffected eg taxation and most areas of public expenditure.
- education, healthcare, welfare policies.
- attempts to develop common foreign/defence policy- largely unsuccessful; UK remained sceptical due to NATO/relationship with USA.
- UK will take control of main policy areas; new legislation; Internal Market Bill needed to protect seamless internal trade in UK.
25
How has the EU impacted the UK in terms of political parties?
- two main have been split
- divisions within Labour Party led to Wilson calling 1975 referendum on continued membership; 1/3 campaigning for leaving; supported withdrawal in 80s; more positive view in 1997, but split in 2016.
- euroscepticism grew within Cons from late 80s, leading to divisions that threatens survival of Major gov; Cameron resigned after referendum; splits undermined May leadership.
- UKIP won 12 seats in EP elections of 2004; 13 in 2009, 27 seats in 2014 (largest); Brexit Party created in 2019/won most votes/seats.
26
How has the EU not impacted the UK in terms of political parties?
- since 2019 election, leaders/policies of all main parties lined up behind fact that UK will leave; no case for second referendum.
- both UKIP/Brexit Party have never broken through in Westminster.
27
How has the EU impacted the UK in terms of public opinion?
- referendum result was a hardening of eurosceptic opinion.
- EU became more high priority; after 2010, partially as result of debt crisis in Eurozone, slow economic recovery, migrant crisis.
- since referendum, attitudes have impacted on public opinion/voting behaviour in 2017/2019 GEs as well as 2019 European Parliamentary elections; opposition to Brexit in Scotland -> increased public support for independence; opposition to Withdrawal Agreement in NI -> opens up possibility of reunification
28
How has the EU not impacted the UK in terms of public opinion?
- eurosceptism remained mainstay of public opinion over lifetime of UK’s membership; opinion surveys consistently showed interest/support had been lower in UK eg 2014 Eurobarometer opinion poll (conducted by Commission) - only 44% of UK citizens optimistic about future.
- low level of voter turnout in elections to EP.
- major political parties who tried to align themselves with public opinion failed to profit; 1983 Labour/2001 Tory - both tried to turn public opinion on EU - lost because not a priority.
29
How has the EU impacted the UK in terms of sovereignty/constitution?
- European Communities Act 1972 - European laws take precedence over UK law.
- Factortame Case 1991 - ECJ overturned sections of Merchant Shipping Act 1988, which aimed to prevent boats from other member states from fishing in UK waters; impairing PS.
- intro of QMV/transfer of more areas of legislative competency undermined PS.
- EU has exclusive competency on agricultural, fisheries, transport policy; rules governing 4 freedoms.
- multiple areas have moved to QMV; UK lost national veto; erosion of sovereignty.
30
How has the EU not impacted the UK in terms of sovereignty/constitution?
- PS not infringed because Parliament cannot bind successor/could repeal ECA 1972 at any time.
- 2018 - passed EU Withdrawal Act; end of transition period 1/1/2021 - no longer has primacy over UK law; withdrawal act copied all existing EU law into UK law; retained EU law subject to amendment, repeal, improvement.
- all treaties that move areas of competency to EU/areas to QMV had to be signed by all states; democratically elected gov chose to.
- UK able to preserve sovereignty by opting out of euro, Schengen, Social Chapter.
- UK always maintained red lines over powers it wouldn’t hand over.
- upon leaving, all areas of competency returned; creates constitutional problem of whether powers should be passed back to devolved institutions/Westminster.
31
How has Brexit impacted EU influence?
- limits in PS removed by repeal of ECA 1972.
- created gridlock in procedure; 2019 saw chamber seize control of timetable.
- lengthy process - Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill; from 2024, assimilated law no longer supreme, but there are still some that are; any required by exit treaty.
