The European Union

Facts

• Supranational organization = transcends national borders

• 27 members• Single currency = Euro

The European Union: 493 million people – 27 countries

Member states of the European Union

Candidate countries

23 official languages

History

1952The European Steel and Coal Community

1958The treaties of Rome:

The European Economic CommunityThe European Atomic Energy Community

(EURATOM)

1987The European Single Act: the

Single Market

1993Treaty of European Union

– Maastricht1999

Treaty of Amsterdam 2003

Treaty of Nice

2007Treaty of Lisbon (signed)

Three pillars

The European Union

The Treaties

European Community

common policies

Common foreign and

security policy

Police and judicial

cooperation in criminal

matters

The big enlargement: healing the division of Europe

Fall of Berlin Wall – end of CommunismEU economic help begins: Phare programme

Criteria set for a country to join the EU:• democracy and rule of law• functioning market economy• ability to implement EU laws

Formal negotiations on enlargement begin

Copenhagen summit agrees enlargement

10 new EU members: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia

1989

1992

1998

2002 2004

2007 Bulgaria and Romania join the EU

CandidatesCroatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey

© R

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rs

Eight enlargements

1952 1973 1981 1986

1990 1995 2004 2007

The euro – a single currency for Europeans

EU countries using the euroEU countries not using the euro

Can be used everywhere in the euro area

Coins: one side with national symbols, one side common Notes: no national side

Beating inflationEuropean Economic and Monetary Union: stable prices

Average annual inflation in the 15 EU-countries that used the euro in 2008 

EU’s Democratic Deficit

• Democratic deficit = lack of its accountability to the average citizen in member states– most decision making in EU is done by nonelected

officials

• EU challenges the sovereignty of member states because decisions are made by the EU instead of solely by national governments

Issues currently facing EU

• Trade disputes with nonmember countries• Discrepancy in economic power between

member states• Pressure form nonmember states to join EU• Challenges to EU’s authority by nationalist

sentiment within member states – “Euroskeptics”

Arguments for EU Enlargement

• Larger EU will have more weight in trade negotiations with rest of the world

• Cheaper labor in new EU states will attract businesses from other countries

• Promote political stability in new member states

• Larger EU provides new and diverse markets for all EU members

EU population in the worldPopulation in millions, 2007

497

1322

128 142

301

EU China Japan Russia United States

Surface area, 1 000 km²

EU China Japan Russia United States

16 889

9327 9159

4234

365

How rich is the EU compared to the rest

of the world?

EU China Japan Russia United States EU China Japan Russia United States

10 793

1 326

3676

468

10 035

24 700

6 400

27 800

10 000

37 300

Size of economy: Gross Domestic Product inbillion of euros, 2006

Wealth per person: Gross Domestic Productper person in Purchasing Power Standard, 2007

How many people live in the EU? Population in millions, 2007

497 million82

.4

63.4

60.9

59.1

44.5

38.2

21.6

16.3

11.2

10.6

10.5

10.3

10.1

9.0

8.3

7.7

5.4

5.4

5.3

4.3

3.4

2.3

2.0

1.3

0.8

0.5

0.4

Fran

ce

Spai

n

Swed

en

Pola

nd

Finl

and

Ital

y

Uni

ted

King

dom

Rom

ania

Gre

ece

Bulg

aria

Hun

gary

Port

ugal

Aust

ria

Czec

h Re

publ

ic

Irel

and

Lith

uani

a Latv

ia

Slov

akia

Esto

nia

Den

mar

k

Net

herla

nds

Belg

ium

Slov

enia

Cypr

us

Luxe

mbu

rg

Mal

taGer

man

y

GDP per inhabitant: the spread of wealth

GDP per inhabitants in Purchasing Power Standards, 2007

Index where the average of the 27 EU-countries is 100

280

144131 129 127 123 121 118 117 113 113

104 102 10094 89 87

79 77 7567 66 63 58 56 53

38 37

Luxe

mbo

urg

Irel

and

Net

herla

nds

Aust

ria

Den

mar

k

Belg

ium

Swed

en

Uni

ted

King

dom

Finl

and

Ger

man

y

Fran

ce

Ital

y

Spai

n

EU-2

7

Cypr

us

Gre

ece

Slov

enia

Czec

h Re

publ

ic

Mal

ta

Port

ugal

Esto

nia

Hun

gary

Slov

akia

Lith

uani

a

Latv

ia

Pola

nd

Rom

ania

Bulg

aria

How is the EU’s money spent?

Total EU budget 2008: 129.1 billion euro

= 1.03% of Gross National Income

Citizens, freedom,security and justice

1%

Other, administration6%

Sustainable growth:new jobs, cohesion,

research45%

The EU as a global player:including development aid

6%

Natural resources:agriculture,

environment43%

European Parliament

The EU institutions

Court of Justice

Court of Auditors Economic and Social Committee Committee of the Regions

Council of Ministers(Council of the EU) European Commission

European Investment Bank European Central BankAgencies

European Council (summit)

How EU laws are made

Citizens, interests groups, experts: discuss, consult

Commission: makes formal proposal

Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly

Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation

National or local authorities: implement

United Kingdom

The European Parliament – voice of the people

13

24

78

78

14

Italy

Ireland

24Hungary

Greece

99Germany

France

Finland

6Estonia

14Denmark

24Czech Republic

6Cyprus

18Bulgaria

24Belgium

18Austria

Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of MinistersDemocratic supervision of all the EU’s work

Total 785

78

19Sweden

54Spain

7Slovenia

14Slovakia

35Romania

24Portugal

54Poland

27Netherlands

5Malta

6Luxembourg

13Lithuania

9Latvia

Number of members elected in each country

The European political partiesNumber of seats in the European Parliament

per political group

European UnitedLeft - Nordic Green Left41

Socialist Group215

Greens/EuropeanFree Alliance43

Independence/Democracy24

Alliance of Liberals andDemocrats for Europe101 European People’s Party

(Christian Democrats)and European Democrats288

Union for Europeof the Nations44

Non-attached members andtemporarily empty seats29

Total : 785