Transcript The European Union

The European Union
Keep in Mind
• The differences between “Europe” and the
European Union (EU)
• The similarities and differences between the
USA and the EU
• In what areas are their benefits to
cooperation?
• In what areas are their benefits to
competition?
European History to 1945 in One
Powerpoint Slide
• After the fall of Rome in 476 CE, Europeans
got religion and killed each other mercilessly
for most of 1500 years. Highlights include
– Vlad the Impaler
– Charles the Fifth
– Ivan the Terrible
– Napoleon Bonaparte
– Adolph Hitler
After World War II
• In 1945, the British, French, German and Italian
economies were in shreds, and they had little
defense against a Soviet invasion.
• They formed NATO with the United States for
military protection, and received massive capital
investment via the USA’s Marshall Plan.
• By 1951, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium,
Luxembourg and Netherland joined in the
European Coal and Steel Community, as a common
market to better compete internationaly
Principles of the ECSC
• Common Economic Market would prevent
another inter-European war
• Cooperation in this narrow area led to further
break-throughs in energy cooperation, political
coordination, commercial contracts and
international policing (INTERPOL)
• Going into the late 1980’s, Western Europe had
begun to function as a complex unit, and warfare
was improbable, unless against Soviet Union
EU Integration
• The European Union became a confederation
in 1992 with the Maastrict Treaty
• After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991,
Western European countries rushed to build
Eastern Europe’s economies/political
institutions
– Rapid expansion of European Institutions
– Unified response to genocide in Yugoslavia
– Movement to solidify institutional roles through a
European Constitution
EU Today
• To be an EU Member, Country must meet
“Copenhagen Criteria” for democracy , free
markets and rule of law
– 27 Full Member states, 23 official languages
– 4 Full Candidate Countries (Iceland, Macedonia,
Croatia and Turkey)
– 9 Stabilization Agreements in Place, 1 in Process
(Kosovo)
– Some eligible European countries remain outside
EU for Economic or Political reasons
• Norway and Switzerland
• Micro-countries like Monaco, Vatican, Andorra
Europe Vs European Union
Foundational Treaties
• Treaty of Paris (1951)- Coal and Steel
• Treaty of Rome (1957)-Common Market and
Atomic policy
• Treaty of Maastricht (1992)- Modernized
European Institutions, open borders
• Treaty of Lisbon (2009)- established EU
President, Stronger EU Parliament
Shared Sovereignty
• Shared Sovereignty means EU
countries agree to share
significant amounts of control
with other members, in return for
the benefits of group membership
– Free Movement of Labor inside EU
– Coordination of legal
code/procedures
– Shared foreign policy
– Common Currency (Euro) is the most
difficult shared institution to join.
European Governance
• All Member countries retain local control for
local issues
• European Parliament (751 MP’s selected via
direct election) and Consilium (1 rep. per
country) design laws for European wide
issues. Meets in Brussels, Belgium
• European Court of Justice is comprised of one
judge per member country, with 13 max on
any one case. Meets in Luxembourg City
European Presidency
• Originally Elected Head of
Government of a Member
Country,
– Rotated every 6 months
• Nicolas Sarkozy-France-Fall 2008,
• Vaclav Klaus-Czech-Spring 2009
– Treaty of Lisbon established
distinct “Presidency” in 2009
• 30 month term
• Current=Herman Van Rompuy of
Belgium
Population Issues
• European birth rates have
steadily declined since 1960’s,
while education levels have
markedly risen.
• A shortage of unskilled labor
is drawing millions of Africans
into Europe as undocumented
immigrants
– Thousands die every year
crossing the Mediterranian Sea
in cayucos (small boats)
Military Issues
• European nations maintain their
own militaries, with no
“European” army.
• Most EU members are also part
of NATO, which gives them a
history of working together
• EU countries contribute to
peacekeeping missions in
Kosovo, Cyprus and many other
places
Economic Comparison
European Union
United States of America
• Population 450 million
• Unemployment rate 9%
• Common Market Economy of
13.06 trillion GDP/yr
• Major exporters of industrial,
technical goods and services to
Africa and Asia
• Imports Energy, Raw materials
• Average annual gross income
$28,000 (USD)
– Richer countries have been in
longer(Luxembourg ave. gross
income $63,590)
– Newer members bring down
average (Poland $15,330)
• Population 303 million
• Unemployment rate 4.6%
• Free Market Economy of 13.84
trillion GDP/yr
• Major exporter of industrial,
technical goods and services to
Latin America, Asia
• Imports Energy, Raw Materials
• Average annual gross income
$42028 (USD)
– 6th of 216 states and territories
worldwide
– 1) Luxembourg, 2)Kuwait, 3)
Norway, 4) Brunei, 5) Singapore
Cooperation and Competition
• What are 3 areas in which the United States
and European Union can cooperate to solve
mutual problems?
• What are 3 areas in which it makes sense for
the United States to compete with the
European Union, and vice versa?
Summary