EUP - History Structure

1951

• Establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
• New entity created with legal personality and independent institutions. (First international body with supranational powers)
• Countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, and West Germany

1957

• Establishing the European Economic Community (EEC)
  • Political and economic stability in the region (peace)
  • The welfare and wellbeing of all European citizens
• Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euroatom)
• The European Community (EC) treaty called for:
  • A customs union
  • A common market
  • Common policies
  • Economic and monetary union (EMU)

1965

• Joint institutions
  • One Council
  • One European Commission
  • One European Court of Justice (ECJ)
  • One Assembly (later known as European Parliament)

1986

• Removes all barriers to free movement between member states (MS)
• Objective to establish a single market (‘four freedoms’)

1992

• Treaty forming the European Union
  • Leading to the creation of a single currency – the Euro (convergence criteria)
  • Increase integration in areas other than the economic sphere
  • Three-Pillars
  • Co-operation + Co-decision procedures for passing new legislation.

1997

• Consolidation of EU and EEC treaties
• More transparent decision-making
• Increased use of co-decision voting procedure

2001

• Builds on the Maastricht Treaty & Treaty of Rome
• Reformed the institutional structure of the European Union to withstand eastward expansion.

2004

• Unratified[1] international treaty aimed to create a united constitution for the European Union.
• Giving force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, expand Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) into policy areas previously decided by unanimity among member states.

[1] Unratified - Lacking legal authority

2005

• Treaty originally signed in 2004, however later proclaimed to be illegal, and was ratified by 18 MS.
• French and Dutch voters in May-June of 2005 rejected the document, bringing the ratification process to an end.

2007

• Simplify the structure and organization of the EU.
• Rome Treaty renamed to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European union (TFEU)
• Lisbon treaty aimed to complete the process started by the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) and the Treaty of Nice (2001)
• Changed voting from unanimity to QMV in policy areas in the Council of Ministers (Double Majority Voting)

2009

28

1. Supranational law
2. Intergovernmental law
3. Intergovernmental law

• Chairman: Jean-Claude Juncker (ex: José Manuel Barroso)
• Members: 28 Member state representatives

• Main roles:
  • Propose new legislation to Council & Parliament
  • Enforce European law
  • Represent EU outside of Europe
  • German representative: Günther Öttinger (Digital Economy and Society)

• Chairman: Donald Franciszek Tusk (ex: Herman Van Rompuy)
• Composition:
  • European Council – President (Chairman) & Commission president
  • Council of Ministers – EU member state representatives
• Main roles:
  • Setting political direction
  • Solve issues that cannot be solved at lower level
  • Debating + passing European laws with Parliament

• Chairman: Martin Schulz
• 751 seats – number of MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) roughly proportionate to its population
• Main roles:
  • Debating + passing European laws with Council
  • Debating & adopting EU budget
  • Scrutinizing other EU institutions

Günther Öttinger (Digital Economy and Society)

European Commission (EC)

• Representatives are appointed, not elected
• Single commissioner cannot be fired. All have to be relieved of duty

The Institutional Triangle
 

• European Council
• Council of Ministers (Not EC council)
• Council of Europe
  • An international organization promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe.
  • Has 47 member states
  • Cannot make binding laws

• The principle that regulates the exercise of powers in the European Union.
• Based on the idea that decisions must be taken as closely as possible to the citizen.
  • The Union should not undertake action unless EU action is more effective than action taken at national, regional or local level.

• Intergovernmental: Countries stay independent
• Supranational: One body above all the other countries

Federalism

Supranational

• ECB
• Qualify voting
• Commission
• Constitution
• Political institutions/integration

Confederalism

Intergovernmental

• Veto voting
• Councils (defending the national interest)
• Treaty
• Union of independent states