The History and Membership of the EU AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

EEC  The European Economic Community was formed in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome  The EEC supplemented national economies with a customs-free area that created a larger trading space and allowed national firms to export more  Countries adopted Common Agricultural Policies (CAP) that stimulated modernization of agriculture  Because of the economic policies set forth, unemployment dropped and discretionary spending increased  The EEC also expanded the use of social programs for health care, housing, pensions, and other public goods

European Community  The European Community (EC) was created in 1965  This organization expanded beyond just the economic policies pushed by the EEC  As part of this organization, there was a push to unify how European Countries would use nuclear energy  These policies largely limited European countries to using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes  The EC was weakened by internal arguments, and a strong movement to strengthen the EC was not successful until the fall of the USSR in the 1980’s

European Union  The European Union (EU)  The EU was formed in 1991 by the Maastricht Treaty  The EU gained power over monetary policy, foreign affairs, national security, transportation, the environment, justice, and tourism  The goal of the EU was to coordinate economic policies, create a common currency, and create a European Central Bank

European Union  The treaty established three pillars of authority  1. Trade an other economic matters, including economic and monetary union into a single currency, and the creation of the European Central Bank  2. Justice and home affairs, including policy governing asylum, border crossing, immigration, and judicial cooperation on crime and terrorism  3. Common foreign and security policy, including joint positions and actions, and common defense policy

Membership  As of 2013, 27 nations have joined the EU  It began with 6 members in 1957  The rapid integration of social, economic, and political processes have caused many issues. These issues include:  Organizational issues (27 countries)  Expansion has brought in former Communist nations (poor economies)  Eastern European immigration into their labor markets

Membership  In order to be accepted into the EU a country must:  Have a stable and functioning democratic regime  A market-oriented economy  Willingness to accept all EU laws and regulations  Recent polls have shown that there is currently a decline in the amount of people who want to see the EU enlarge  This is largely due to the poor economic prospects of some prospective members  This is referred to as enlargement fatigue