Political Structures And Processes Of The European Union
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Samenvatting Political Structures And Processes Of The European Union
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Course
Political Structures And Processes Of The European Union
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Samenvatting in Engels van alle hoorcolleges. Op het einde zijn er ook examenvragen (januari 2021).
Summary in English of all the lectures. There are also exam questions at the end (January 2021).
political structures and processes of the european union
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Political Structures And Processes Of The European Union
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1/10/2020
Political Structures and Processes
of the European Union
HOC 2
A short history of European integration
Picture: signing ceremony of the first treaty treaty of Rome
Treaties: legal texts that bind countries together they are in a constant bargaining process in the
eu because they all have a different idea of what the treaties should say. There is a lot of give and
take.
There is a parallel dynamic taking place : these nations engage in cooperation on security and
economic affairs the economic part (EU) is much more real integration, while security cooperation
is much more driven by the individual member states.
Founding fathers
Jean Monnet (founding father of conceptional thinking) - Robert Schuman – George Marshall (junior
officer in WOI, senior general in Washington in WOII closest military advisor to the president) - Paul
Henry Spaak (already an important figure in Belgian politics)
They were in a more advanced state in their career men that had experienced the wars, and drew
their very first political experiences and insights from that experience.
League of nations: predecessor of the UN
set the scene for a lot of new conceptual thinking how Europe should be organised after the war.
Important to keep in mind: The formative experience of all these people who established the EU
construction, was really grounded in the experience of the first half Wars.
Timeline
Marshall Speech: gave name to the marshall plan key point: the USA (economically speaking
undamaged to the war in contrast to the EU) would help with the reconstruction of the EU continent
and EU economy only one condition: Europeans would start cooperating with eachother instead
of competing like in the past centuries. Make sure you get along.
The Marshall plan (EU recovery program
Schuman Declaration: also a famous speech he called for reconciliation economic
reconstruction and namely steel and coal.
Post cold war treaties: Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon treaty
French and British: bilateral treaty: Dunkirk treaty.
BeNeLux countries: Brussels treaty: became Western European union.
Great paradox: the story of economic integration was suggested, first by the American and executed
by the Europeans themselves, the story of security cooperation first a discussion amongst very
anxious EU nations after the war, who then invited the USA to please provide this external security
guarantee. So that the EU could put all their effort on the economic story and put all their time on
this to work.
, 1/10/2020
Uniting the continent step by step: Starting with 6 member states. The UK now formally left, which is
a first.
European recovery program
Right after the war ended there was already a tension between the USA and soviet union. The long
telegram sent from moskou, a brief message to the secretary of state from the ambassy. Us
perspective: the having the EU entirely dominated by the soviet union, that would be problematic. In
this framework Marshall put forward his speech at Harvard.
It was not only American charity, it was also a to emerge competition to the soviet union. Marshall
said we will provide economic assistance to rebuild your economies, but ONLY if you establish a
framework for rebuilding the eu economy. Not all nations signed up to this (what will the soviet
union think?)
Idea of international cooperation on a voluntary basis distinguished the western part of eu en
eastern part.
France & Germany: 2 big countries on EU and lost a lot with the war.
EU coal and steel community : first formal effort amongst Europeans only predecessor of the EU
as we know it today. Flag with 6 stars (predecessor of EU flag)
Gets signed by Robert Schuman in Paris. Other revolutionary aspect: creation of new institutions to
run this organisation. a High authority, would involve member states, parliaments, and creating a
common court.
The states involved in the coal and steel community tasked Henry Spaak to write a report how this
experiment could be taken to the next level. Expanding the initial experiment into the establishment
of the common market, now the single market. The report sets the stage of what would become the
Treaty of Rome.
The Treaty of Rome
Builds on the Spaak report, to establish not only a coal and steel community, but an economic
European community.
Grand aspiration to establish a common market, and an ever closer union among the member states.
process that didn’t went all smoothly
All times Many issues are left open: there is not always an agreement between the states.
Common Market principles
Tariff removal: No taxes if you want to ship goods from one member state to the other
Charles de Gaul (tall figure on cartoon): becomes president (FR) when the european project was
already in motion the project binds the states together with benefits, but it has a political cost:
reducing national political independence results empty chair crisis : he says I have enough, we are
no longer sending a representative to brussels.
, 1/10/2020
Luxembourg compromise
When a member state really considers that its most fundamental national interests are being
harmed, they can ring the alarm bell. the system slowly advanced from then on.
EEC Policies
Two most prominent: common market & common agricultural policy
you get a variation of different policy areas. The commission gets the right to propose new laws
but always under the control of the member states, who frequently end up saying no.
In 1980’s the uk and Denmark also join, and a lot happened.
The 1986 Single European Act
After all the disagreement the whole common market approach needed a substantial push. The
political leadership of the then 9 countries, wanted to complete the internal market by 1992. In order
to make that a reality: started watering down the Lux. Compromise expand decision making by
majority big breakthrough: the unspoken agreement to reduce veto rights in the EU framework +
involve EU parliament more & single EU act added a number of policy areas (environmental
protection, research policy and cohesion policy were added) trying to keep economic
development across member states more or less even (a challenge in practice!)
Maastricht treaty
The foundational treaty of the European Union as we know it today. It created the idea that the EU
would entail citizenship as additional layer of political identity. Individuals would not only be citizens
of their respected member states, but also citizens to this bigger endeavour called the European
Union.
The euro became the symbol of EU integration all the national currencies would be euros.
Creating a formal system for the currency policy
the treaty made German reunification acceptable to all other member states, by pushing ahead
with new common policies and really tying economies together through the creation of a single
currency.
Three Pillars
Picture: Signing ceremony in 1997 Amsterdam boosting 2nd and 3th pillar integrated the
Schengen system (free movement in EU)
Treaty of Nice
Cold war completely ended by then & Germany was fully accepted
zoomed in on how the growth (from 15 to member states 25) would effect the functioning of the
system in particular the decision making (how much voting power should each state get)
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