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Summary Political Structures and Processes of the European Union (PSPEU)
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Summary Political Structures & Processes of EUHOC 1: Why study European integration?
= fall of the Berlin Wall = tipping point
= The sovereign state as the building block of international relations
= European history of nation states = religious wars (15-17e)
= rooted in Peace of Westphalia in 1648
= international relations = growing in number over time
= the world exists of sovereign states = main block of international politics = world of states
= State sovereignty always includes a certain territory (over which laws apply, a presumed
right to non-interference (from the world outside) and a capacity to act (to enforce the law
within and shield the state (from external aggression) >< political systems can vary from one
stat to the next
= treaties include what it means to be a state
= All states have commons = exp. They all have ministries who collect taxes, ministries of justice,
… = what goes on in the state (democracies, governments, …) depends on state affairs
= influence of neighboring countries = coexistence has influence on internal situation of a
state
= often (but not always) overlapping with nations
= Charles Tilly = State formation usually violent: “War made the state and the state made war”
= Quid political science vs international relations as disciplines?
= Multi-level Governance: there are different levels
= the European level = in between global level & national level
= EU-level above the state, yet unlike other international organizations (Sui generis)
= has state like characteristics, stronger than other international organizations
= has legal rights = leads to confusion = is it a state?
= has sovereign capacities = reserve capacities for member states
= The central historical phenomenon of postwar Europe
= post “the great” war = the emergence of French-German relations after the EU continent
nearly collapses
= mid 20 century = FR & GR entered reconciliation
= most states are nation states
= EU integration as a mean for overcoming the past
= Policy point of view = one crisis to the next = this became the rule
= sovereign debt crisis & the Euro (2009)
= Ukraine crisis & relations with Russia (2014) = Russian (soldiers) referendum in UKR
= migration crisis (2015)
= Brexit (2016)
= Climate emergency (2019)
= COVID-19 emergency (2020)
= Putin’s war with UKR & the West (2022)
, = more often than not, the European level plays a key role in generating policy (re)actions
= based on EU competences & MS coordination
= EU member states look for European solutions = askes for consensus/majority or
debate about policy responses
= NATO (& EU) enlargement
= the overlap NATO – EU enlarges with time
= a success story for Euro-Atlantic & European integration:
= 1990 = German reunification
= expanding the free & single market
= CEE (Central/Eastern Europe) states anxious to plug into democratic model & security
= a nightmare for Putin:
= appeal of democracy
= buffer space dwindles
= who makes the rules?
= In crisis, political contestation is never far away
= taxation, poverty & redistribution of wealth
= citizenship & identity issues: belonging to political communities
= political values: freedom, democracy, sovereignty, rule of law, pluralism, etc.
= fear means contestation = different risks & options within policy making
= different advantages & disadvantages come with different policy options
= crisis = raises debate & radical policy options (other political values)
= The essence of European integration = sorting out European politics by means of constant
negotiations & common institutions
HOC 2: A short history of European integration
= What history of European integration?
= European history of 20th C & beyond = occasional war -> pacification & cooperation
= 2 stories = historical security cooperation & economic integration
= ultimately about “high politics” amongst European capitals
= early seeds, treaties & bargaining are key
= succession of treaties = legal aspects
= Uniting the continent, step by step
= 6 -> 9 -> 10 -> 12 -> 15 -> 25 -> 27 -> 28 -> 27
= uniting started after WOII = many EU countries were impacted by WOI & WOII
= every state has its own history of the WO experiences
= 6 founding member states = economic relation = spreading/expanding common economic
model (later also a political model)
= overlap with NATO states
= signs of partial disintegration = EU had setbacks
= 1965 = FR no longer wanted to show up = empty chair crisis
= all member states needed to agree, so no important decision could be
taken (= consensus)
= resolved = by the majority rule
= 2016 = Brexit referendum -> 2020 UK withdrawal
= “rule of law” debate -> concerns about other exits
, = Some founding fathers = key individuals
= Konrad Adenauer = post war GR chancellor
= George Marshall = USA army general -> secretary of state
= Robert Schuman = FR foreign minister
= Paul-Henri Spaak = modern BE diplomacy + prime & foreign minister
= Jean Monnet = FR civil servant + league of nations after WOI
= others = Winston Churchill, Alcide De Gasperi
= all survivors of the war (WOI & WOII) = political leaders scared by war = saw impact of battle
= first integration efforts go back to WOI (&WOII)
= first international organization (league of nations) fails = relies only on agreements
= Monnet = there is a need for supranational layer
= the UK first unstained from joining
= 2 storylines = military lines of NATO = security
= paradox = US = giving ideas & investments to EU
= fear of EU = security starts with EU = trying to convince US to plug in = NATO centric
= economic integration
= 1947 = Marshall speech = nudging EU to cooperate economically = started with speech,
after EU needed to take ownership
= 1948 = European Recovery Program
= 1950 = Schuman Declaration = gets the ball rolling = different treaties
= 1951 = Paris Treaty -> ECSC
= 1957 = Rome Treaties (/TFEU) -> EEC & Euratom
= 1986 = Single European Act
= 1992 = Maastricht Treaty/TEU
= 1997 = Amsterdam Treaty
= 2001 = Nice Treaty
= 2007 = Lisbon Treaty
= security cooperation
= 1947 = Dunkirk Treaty
= 1948 = Brussels Treaty (WEU)
= 1949 = Washington Treaty -> NATO & Art 5
= 1950 = DC 6/1 “deterrence”
= 1957 = MC 14/2 -> “massive retaliation”
= 1967 = Harmel Report
= 1968 = MC 14/3 -> flexible response
= 1991 = strategic concept
= 1999 = strategic concept
= 2010 = strategic concept
= 2022 = strategic concept
= after WOII = GR defeated = what now? Is EU safe? = FR & GR commit to each other’s security
= Dunkirk alliance
= the future is uncertain = Dunkirk -> 1y later the BENELUX join treaty = Brussels Treaty
= countries try to ensure that the US doesn’t leave = Washington treaty = sets stage NATO
= Strategic concepts follow
= future tasks align with NATP = Harmel
= by 50s there was cooperation & security provided by US
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