Europe context and institutions Joy Johnson

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Europecontext and institutionsJoy Johnson
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Europe provokes divisions across political
spectrum
In Europe, not run by Europe
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BRITAINS RELATIONS WITH EUROPE TIMELINE
1951 Creation of ECSC under Treaty of Paris
1957 Creation of EEC under Treaty of Rome
1960s De Gaulle rebuffs Britains application (1963, 1967)
1973 Britain ( Den, Ire) members of EEC
1986 Deepening of internal market Single European Act
1992 Deepening of political union Treaty on European Union (Maastricht)
1997 Treaty of Amsterdam
2000 Treaty of Nice
2007 Treaty of Lisbon
NB. Similar material in Kavanagh et al, 2005
Table 8.2
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Question is to stay in

• Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
  originally yes supporter in the UKs first
  referendum in 1975 in the then European Economic
  Community (Common Market)
• 67 of voters supported the Labour government's
  campaign despite several (Labour) cabinet
  ministers having come out in favour of British
  withdrawal.

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Thatcher says No, No, No

• Former Prime Minister supported single market
  (Single European Act)
• Greater integration (contents of the Maastricht
  treaty) drew a No, No, No
• Her Chancellor (Lawson) and former Foreign
  Secretary (Howe) resigned
• Political elite ousted her from office over
  Europe
• For the masses it was the Poll Tax

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Thatcher

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vU2f8nYMCO2I

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Context Exchange Rate Mechanism

• Entry - when the time was right became a
  political issue not economic
• Entered October 1990 by then Chancellor John
  Major
• Thatcher ousted weeks later

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September 16 1992 Black Wednesday

• September 16, 1992 5 months after Major won a
  general election became known as black Wednesday
• Bank of England put up interest rates from 10
  12
• Interest rates were scheduled to go up to 15
• Lamont makes statement
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?NR1vAHDsO7gvXHQfe
  atureendscreen

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Aftermath

• For John Majors government the skids were under
  it from then on
• But the consequence of being evicted were benign
• Had control of currency
• Pound devalued pulling country out of recession
• Golden Wednesday?

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Conservative position

• John Majors premiership was riven with division
  by Maastricht
• 2010 new intake Thatcherite in euro sceptic
  approach
• Referendum on further powers

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John Major tried to appease Eurosceptics

• opted out of the Social Chapter included the
  Working Time Directive (48 hours working week)
  eventually signed by Tony Blair

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Dont mention Europe

• David Cameron appeared to have made the EU less
  toxic
• Rebellion on referendum vote despite 3 line whip
  79 rebels plus 2 more who acted as tellers
• residual anger that he didnt have referendum
  over Lisbon Treaty
• revolt shows that the EU remains a major fault
  line
• Tensions with coalition partners the Liberal
  Democrats

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Referendum on Treaty changes

• The European Union Act would ensure "significant"
  EU treaties must be approved by a referendum of
  UK voters, with the same rule in place for major
  changes to existing treaties
• This meant according to William Hague that any
  future government could not "wriggle out of a
  referendum".

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Where now for the leadership?

• http//www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8807806/E
  U-referendum-would-hurt-Britains-economy-says-Will
  iam-Hague.html
• Hague reality over sceptism

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Latest government defeat 31.10.12 (Halloween)

• http//www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meet
  ingId11554
• Downing Street moved to reach out to the rebels
  by dispatching William Hague to declare that the
  government would "take note" after 51 rebel
  Tories plus two tellers joined forces with
  Labour to defeat the government by 307 votes to
  294, a majority of 13.

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DELEGATION OF POWER TO EU NOT NECESSARILY
DETRIMENTAL

• Supra-national collective action
• National government may not be able to meet
  citizens needs on some (international) policy
  issues
• - Environmental pollution, immigration, crime
• EU fit with Britain
• EU sometimes doesnt fit (eg. social policy)
• but sometimes it does (eg. single market).

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EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

• Incremental progress
• Economic integration followed by political
  integration
• Britain/Denmark/Sweden opted out of Eurozone
• domestic concerns over political union

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KEY EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS
European Commission http//europa.eu/
European Parliament
Council of Ministers
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European Commisioner

• 27 commissioners appointed by nations but
  supposed to represent pan Europe interests
• Jose Manuel Barroso
• Civil Service
• unelected

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Council of Ministers of the EU

• Powerful EU institution
• Inter-governmental
• Broad policy areas under its jurisdiction
• 27 departmental ministers from each nation state
  depending on issue discussed
• e.g. Employment, transport, agriculture
• Ecofin (economic meetings)
• Chancellor attends even though UK out of the
  eurozone
• Voting by qualified majority voting (QMV)

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Powers of co-decision with Council Power to
reject Commission Powers to reject EU budget
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European Parliament

• Elected body
• Supranational
• Once regarded as talking shop is now more
  powerful
• Maastricht Treaty gave it power to reject
  legislation
• Lisbon extended powers
• UK divided into 12 regions

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European Parliament

• There are 754 Euro MPs - elected for five-year
  terms - in the European Parliament, with 72
  representing the UK.
• From 2014 increase to751 MEPs.
• Meets 3 weeks in Brussels and a week in Strasbourg

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MEPs

• There are currently 754 MEPs, 736 of whom were
  elected in June 2009. Lisbon Treaty, which
  entered into force in December 2009 had
  originally provided for 751 seats. The only
  country to have fewer MEPs under the new treaty
  is Germany, which is set to lose 3 seats. As
  Germany's elected number of MEPs cannot be
  reduced, the total number rises temporarily to
  754 during this current legislature.

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European Parliament

• Seventy-two MEPs represent the UK in the European
  Parliament.
• sit according to political affiliation
• seven main groups - with most MEPs sitting in the
  centre-right, centre-left or liberal blocs
• Form mini-coalition - broad range of political
  positions and alliances.

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EU DECISION MAKING PROCESS I
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
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EU DECISION MAKING PROCESS II
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
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NUCLEAR OPTION OPTING OUT OF COLLECTIVE
AGREEMENTS

• 1992 Monetary union Social Chapter
• 1993 Working Time Directive
• 1997 Immigration and asylum
• 2007 Police and judicial cooperation on crime

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Schengen

• As freedom of movement is one of the main
  objectives of the European Union, the Treaty of
  Amsterdam agreed to incorporate Schengen into EU
  law.
• UK opt out

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Euro

• Maastricht Treaty paved the way for single
  currency
• Britain opted out
• Common currency 1 Jan 2002
• Gordon Brown five economic tests
• Warnings that a country cant leave if there is a
  fire
• Greek sovereign debt
• Deeper integration fiscal

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Greek Bail Out as 29 Feb 2012

• http//www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/debt-crisis-liv
  e/

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Lisbon Treaty

• Under EU rules, the treaty had to be ratified by
  all 27 member states before coming into force.
• The treaty signed 2007
• Came into force on 1 December 2009.

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Lisbon Treaty

• Treaty often described as an attempt to
  streamline EU institutions to make the enlarged
  bloc of 27 states function better.
• Opponents see it as part of a federalist agenda
  that threatens national sovereignty.

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Herman Van Rumpuy

• Commonly but mistakenly
• known as President of
• Europe correct title
• President of the
• European Council
• Just been given another 2
• Year contract

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After Lisbon

• High Representative
• - new post
• Catherine Ashton
• David Miliband had been
• expected to go for it but
• chose instead to fight
• Labour Party leadership

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After Lisbon

• The European Commission will continue to have 27
  commissioners - one from each member state. The
  previous Nice Treaty envisaged a smaller
  commission - and that idea was to be kept, but it
  was then dropped as a concession to the Irish
  Republic in 2008.

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After Lisbon New powers

• New powers for the European Commission, European
  Parliament and European Court of Justice, for
  example in the field of justice and home affairs.
  
• Parliament will be on an equal footing with the
  Council - the grouping of member states'
  governments - for most legislation (co-decision),
  including the budget and agriculture

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After Lisbon

• Removal of national vetoes in a number of areas,
  including fighting climate change, energy
  security and emergency aid. Unanimity will still
  be required in the areas of tax, foreign policy,
  defence and social security.

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After Lisbon

• The new European Parliament was elected in June
  2009 under the existing Nice Treaty - 736 MEPs -
  down from the previous 785.
• Under the Lisbon plan, the number will be fixed
  at 751

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After Lisbon Qualified Majority Voting

• Some extensions of qualified majority voting in
  the European Council are already in place, but
  plans to redistribute voting weights have been
  delayed until after 2014.

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European Central Bank

• Italian Mario Draghi President
• Sets interest rates
• The primary objective of the ECBs monetary
  policy is to maintain price stability

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Greece and austerity

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17067104

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Europe goes leftward?

• Election of Hollande
• Netherlands

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Draghi will do anything to save the euro

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19499950

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European Court of Justice

• Europes supreme legal institution
• 27 members one judge per member state
• 13 judges hear a case at any one time
• EU law covered, free trade and movement of goods
  and services employment law and social chapter
  competition law public sector regulation

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Outside of the EU institutions

• http//www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/feb/28/britain-
  reform-european-court-human-rights?newsfeedtrue
• European Court of Human Rights
• Council of Europe

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Issues

• Crisis in the Eurozone
• Budget
• Turkeys membership
• Open borders

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Useful website

• http//ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president
  /index_en.htm

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Seminar Reading

• Essential PA for Journalists
• Seminar question