AQA Government and Politics Chapter 10: The European Union (Revision Notes and Essay Plans)
Updated 2023/2024
This Resource includes brief revision notes, 3 9-Mark Question Plans, and a 25-Mark Question Plans for the 'European Union'' topic - also including a list of key definitions alongside...
EU Institutions – Principal bodies of the EU that comprise of its legislative,
executive, judicial, and administrative branches
Europe
an
-
-
Brussels
27 Commissioners led by Commissioner President (Ursula von der Leyen) who
allocated responsibilities for policy areas
Commis
-
-
Commission president nominated by European Council but must be approved by
European Parliament
Individual Commissioners nominated by national governments and voted on by
sion
-
European Parliament
Proposes new laws (only EU body that can do this)
- Manages EU policies and allocates EU funding
- Enforces EU Law (along with CJEU) and ensures member states comply
- Represents EU internationally, including in negotiation of agreements
- June 2020 = Commission announced a 9% reduction in funding for Common
Agricultural Policy
, Council of the European
Union
- Brussels
- Government ministers from each EU country according to policy area to be discussed
- Membership decided by national governments
- Main EU decision-making body
- Comprises of ten sectional councils dealing with specific policy area (e.g., agriculture)
- Shares legislative power with European Parliament
- Negotiates / Approves laws proposed by Commission regarding policy / directives
- Most decisions agreed through QMV, yet unanimity is required in areas such as
taxation and foreign policy
- Negotiates trade deals with non-EU states, such as in 2019 with Japan
European Council
- Brussels (except April, June and October = Luxembourg City)
- Leaders of all member states
- Council chooses a president to serve a 5-year term (Charles Michel)
- Meetings attended by president of Commission (though doesn’t have vote)
- Sets the agenda and defines EU’s overall direction and priorities
- Key strategic body of the EU
- Oversaw Brexit negotiations with the UK, laying down the EU’s terms
- Formulated EU response to the unrest in Ukraine following threat from Russia (2019
= Donald Tusk tweeted ‘there can be no Europe without Ukraine!”)
European Parliament
- Strasbourg, though some meetings held in Luxembourg and secretariat = Brussels
- 705 MEPs (post Brexit) directly elected by member states
- MEPs determined by country size (Germany = 96, Malta = 6)
- MEPs sit as pan-European political groupings (e.g., Group of the Progressive Alliance
of Socialists and Democrats)
- Approves annual EU budget
- Amends and vetoes EU legislation proposed by COTEU and drafted by Commission
- Cannot propose its own legislation despite being a Parliament
- Confirms appointments of commissioners nominated by national governments
- Oversees the work of EU institutions (notably Commission)
- Commissioner nominations can be vetoed (2019 = Romania nominee Rovana Plumb
vetoed due to irregularities in her wealth declaration form)
- 2019 = Parliament approved new EU copyright law requiring social media platforms
to take responsibility of copyrighted material being shared on their platform
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