EUROPEAN UNITY MOVEMENT

1
EUROPEAN UNITY MOVEMENT

• Federalists
• Functionalists and Neo-functionalists
• Nationalists
• - supranational powers
• two meanings

2
DEVELOPMENT OF THE EEC

• 1958-69
• Original Rome Treaty clearly called for the
  creation of a common market
• It goes beyond a common market in the commitment
  to create common policies in agriculture,
  transport and commercial policy
• Also additional institutions such as the European
  Social fund and European Investment Bank created
• Rudimentary system of macroeconomic co-ordination
  
• - Considerable progress made in achieving
  proposed ends
• - Main limitation was lack of genuine
  supranational element

3
EEC (Con)

• 1969 - 79
• New areas of policy opened up
• Proposal to move towards EMU
• Commencement of negotiations to form Common
  Fisheries Policy
• New policies in relation to industry, science and
  research
• Institutional Developments
• Recognition of meetings of Heads of State as
  European Council
• System of own resources for European Budget
• European Parliament given greater powers

4
EEC (Con)

• 1979 -1990
• Difficulties as Community started to stagnate
  with considerable barriers to trade emerging
  creating need for more ambitious initiatives at
  integration
• Passing of Single European Act (SEA) though
  falling short of full integration made important
  changes
• 1990 - 2000
• Maastricht Treaty ratified by member countries
  paving way for full Economic Union
• Present issues - future of EMU, social and
  economic concerns, democratic deficit in
  Community

5
SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT (1987)

• Placed three European Communities at centre of
  search for European unity and European Council
  recognised as the supreme overall body
• Main changes to Rome Treaty
• - majority voting introduced for certain
  decisions in Council of Ministers in relation to
  completion of internal market, economic and
  social cohesion and science and technology
• - legislative relation between Council and
  Parliament reformed through cooperation mechanism
  and power to conclude traties
• - additional Court drafted on to Court of Jusice
  (Court of First Instance)
• - new provisions on macroeconomic policy
• - provisions concerning social policy and
  working environment
• - innovations in relation to economic and social
  cohesion (leading to structural funds)
• 1988 Delors Report blueprint for EMU

6
MAASTRICHT TREATY

• Background
• - considerable progress with SEM
• - reunification of Germany
• - two IGCs on EMU and Political Union
• Maastricht Treaty (Treaty on European Union)
• - achieving agreement difficult
• - opt out clauses for some nations
• - problems with exchange rates
• - pressure on CAP
• 1993 - achievement of EEA (European Economic
  Area)
• Cohesion fund set up
• Enlargement of EEU - 1995 with need for
  institutional reform

7
AMSTERDAM TREATY - 1997

• Designed as an update to Maastricht Treaty
• - Opt-out clause on Social Chapter removed
• Largely concerned with initial preparations foe
  enlargement of Community though difficult
  decisions postponed till a later date
• Extension of majority voting to many decision
  areas at Council of Europe
• Allowed for notion of two-speed Europe where
  countries willing to cooperate would forge ahead
  on certain issues
• Incorporation of Schengen Agreement on free
  border movement between EU countries into law
  (except Ireland and UK)

8
EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

• Arose as a result of dissatisfaction with Nice
  Treaty which led to a convention to consider more
  wide ranging reforms - made up of representatives
  of national governments, national parliaments,
  Commission and European Parliament with Chairman
  former French President Valery Giscard dEstaing
• Much disagreement in evidence
• between existing members such as France and
  Germany and the
• new member states
• on the issue of federalism with some countries
  e.g. UK bitterly oppose
• to federalism
• on institutional reforms with opposition by
  Spain to reforms in qualified
• majority voting rules

9
EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

• Draft constitution concluded in June 2003 -
  agreement on it after intergovernmental meetings
  by June 2004
• Constitution contained four parts
• Part 1, the quasi-constitutional part covered key
  areas such as EUs competences, institutions,
  membership, objectives and values
• Part 2 related to the Charter of Fundamental
  Rights (that had already been proposed at an
  earlier stage)
• Part 3 consisted of existing treaties with some
  important changes
• Part 4 included protocols and ancillary material

10
EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

• Major proposed changes
• Presidency of European Council no longer to
  rotate every 6 months - rather a President to be
  elected by QMV for a period of 2 and a half years
  
• New EU Foreign Minister to be elected
• National veto to be abolished in 20 additional
  areas though still remaining with respect to
  defence, foreign policy, taxation and social
  security matters
• From 2009 present system of QMV currently
  weighted by economic importance to be weighted by
  population with 60 majority required
• - however in case of veto enhanced cooperation
  allowed for (provided one
• third of member states support action
• Two-tier Commission proposed after 2009 with only
  15 Commissioners having full voting rights
• - all states guaranteed Commissioner 10 out of
  every 15 years

11
EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION

• Parliament to see extension of its powers with
  its approval required with respect to many new
  policy areas (from 34 to 70)
• - after 2005 Parliament to have 732 seats (up
  from 626)
• Role given to national parliaments with
  reconsideration of Commission proposals required
  if one third request this
• Police and judicial issues brought within EUs
  normal structures with possibility of EU justice
  department being created
• European Constitution rejected in Holland and
  France referenda ensuring that
• it will not be adopted (at least in its present
  form)

12
NICE TREATY

• Concerned with constitutional arrangements for
  new member countries
• Difficulties with first Nice Treaty (2000) with a
  No vote in Ireland
• Eventually agreed in 2004 paving the way for
  entry of 10 new countries
• Proposes changes wit respect to Parliament,
  Commissioners, weighting of votes, majority
  decision issues, budget etc.