2. The European Union Unidentified Political Object?

3. Lecture Plan Why integration? Milestones The political system Institutions Policy-making Problems and issues The future What is the EU?

4. Why integration? Post WWII - physical destruction and nationalism discredited - desire for new start Churchill: “United States of Europe” Need to overcome French/German hostility Cold War and American support Domestic considerations Different ideals Federalism Jean Monnet

5. Milestones 1951 - ECSC 1957 - Treaty of Rome 1973 1st enlargement (UK, Dk, Ire) - Oil crisis 1979 - direct elections EP 1981 - 2nd enlargement (Gr) 1985 - Single European Act 1986 - 3rd enlargement (E, P) 1989-91 - E&C Europe: collapse of communism 1992 - Maastricht - TEU 1995 - 4th enlargement (Au, Fi, Sw) 1997 - Treaty of Amsterdam 1999 - launch of Euro and resignation of Commission 2001 - Treaty of Nice 2002 - Convention opens 2004 - 5th enlargement and new treaty?

6. The EU 2003

7. The Pillar Structure EU 1stPillarEC2ndPillarCFSP3rdPillarJHA supranationalintergovernmental

8. Institutions The European Commission The Council of Ministers The European Parliament The European Council The European Court of Justice and Court of First Instance Other institutions, agencies and bodies And … the Presidency Don’t get confused (!) Council of the EU, European Council, Council of Europe

9. Where are the institutions?

10. The Commission 2 aspects of the Commission: The political executive - the College of Commissioners The bureaucracy - the Commission Services The College of Commissioners The President The 19 other Commissioners The Services The Directorates-General Other services Size

12. The Council of Ministers Powerful and central institution represents interests of member states primary decision-making body, though increasingly sharing this with EP consists of a representative of each member state at ministerial level Many different councils, depending on policy area (eg GAC & Ecofin & Agriculture) Voting increasingly by QMV Coreper and Secretariat

13. The European Parliament The only directly elected EU institution (1979) Voice of the people, or expensive talking shop? Weak compared to member state parliaments But with each treaty its powers have increased 625 MEPs sit in party groups - ideologies divided along left/right and pro/anti-integration axes Situated in Brussels and Strasbourg, with secretariat in Luxembourg

14. The European Council Summit meetings of heads of state and government 3 or 4 times a year - major media events normally hosted by country holding the Presidency top of decision-making hierarchy, and an important agenda-setter Major treaty reforms agreed here after IGCs Problems resolved here that cannot be resolved in Council of Ministers

15. The Courts of Justice ECJ has pushed the integration process forward, especially in early 1960s direct effect (1963) and supremacy of EC law (1965) Two courts - ECJ and Court of 1st Instance 15 judges in both Cumulative decisions of ECJ along with the treaties have created a Constitution for Europe? (Not to be confused with ECHR)

16. Other bodies European Central Bank The Court of Auditors The EU Ombudsman The Committee of the Regions (CoR) The Economic and Social Committee Various European agencies

17. Policy-making The ‘Community Method’ Commission formulates and proposes policy Complex decision-making process between Council and EP (with opinions from other bodies) Final decision by Council of Ministers Commission oversees implementation by Member States The Court of Justice adjudicates on conflicts Other policy-making styles developing

18. Problems and Issues The ‘democratic deficit’ The complexity of governance Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) Common Foreign and Security Policy Enlargement - where does it stop? What should the EU be?

19. The Future Enlargement The Convention on the Future of Europe The 2004 Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) A new ‘Constitutional Treaty’

20. What is the EU? A political system but not a state An intergovernmental organisation controlled by nation states? A federal super-state in the making? A complex system of multi-level governance? A hybrid - a unique experiment? The tools of comparative government may be used to analyse the EU

21. Resumé Why integration? Historical development Complex and evolving political system Policy-making Future Nature of the EU http://europa.eu.int