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THE EUROPEAN UNION - Coggle Diagram
THE EUROPEAN UNION
KEY FEATURES
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different EU institutions are responsible for executive (govt), legislative (making laws) and judicial (interpreting and applying the law) actions.
the EU's aim includes peace, removing internal borders and achieving freedom and economic growth while promoting different cultures and languages.
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supranational body: an organisation that exists separately from national govts. In the case of the EU, national govts agree to give power to its supranational bodies and to accept their decisions.
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KEY INSTITUTIONS
European Commission
ROLE:
- initiates EU legislation.
-drafts the EU budget and allocates funding.
- represents EU in international negotiations.
SIGNIFICANCE:
- supranational body.
- 27 commissioners, one from each EU country.
- commissioners are not directly elected - national govts nominate commissioners and the European Council nominates the President of the commission. Nominees are confirmed by the European Parliament.
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European Council
ROLE:
- decides the direction of the EU and policy priorities.
SIGNIFICANCE:
- intergovernmental body.
- heads of govt (or state) for all EU nations meet 4 times a year.
European Parliament
ROLE:
- approves legislation from the Commission (as does the Council of the European Union).
- Approves the EU budget (as does the Council of the European Union).
- provides democratic supervision of EU institutions.
SIGNIFICANCE:
- the EU's only directly elected body.
- 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEP).
- Each EU nation is allocated a number of seats in the European Parliament that reflects its size - e.g., Germany has 96 and Cyprus has 6.
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the EU system of govt features shared legislative and executive powers:
- the European Commission is the main executive branch but the Council of the European Union holds some executive powers.
- legislative powers are shared by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
the Council of the European Union - made up of govt ministers from member nations - acts under the authority of the European Council - the less frequent meetings of the govt heads of EU nations.
the European Council is responsible for big strategic decisions (like change to a treaty or a major shift in policy direction) but only meets a few times a year.
more routine decision making is carried out by the European Commission and the Council of the European Union along with the European Parliament when changes to legislation are required.
both the democratically elected European Parliament and the democratically elected national govts have a direct role in the legislative process.
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AIMS AND ACHIEVMENTS
to promote peace, the values of the EU and the wellbeing of its citizens
:check: member nations of the EU have not fought each other since WWII.
:check: rising living standards and economic growth have coincided with the EU's existence.
:check: democracy and the rule of law operate in EU countries.
:red_cross: the EU faces new threats from an increasingly aggressive Russia, an unstable middle east and home grown terrorism.
:red_cross: the rise of populist anti-EU parties over the last decade shows the frustration felt by citizens who feel the EU has not enriched their lives.
:red_cross: the EU has been criticised for having a democratic deficit - the idea that the EU is not sufficiently democratic because most of its institutions re not directly elected.
freedom, security and justice without internal borders
:check: all EU countries are part of the single market, in which the four freedoms apply - within the EU single market, these are the free movement of goods, services, people and capital.
:check: 22 of the 28 EU member states are members of an area in which there are no border controls between countries - the SCHENGEN AREA.
:check: EU countries work together on policing and anti-terrorism including using the European Arrest Warrant to arrest criminals across the EU.
:red_cross: not all countries are in the Schengen Areas - like the UK and N. Ireland.
:red_cross: In event of a security threat, border checks can be reimposed by countries in the Schengen Area - like France after the 2015 Paris terror attacks.
:red_cross: since the 2015 migration crisis, border controls have been reintroduced by states including Austria and Denmark, to stop migrants from the Middle East and Africa arriving via other countries in the area.
balanced economic growth, a competitive market economy with full employment and environmental protection
:check: the EU has led the development of competitive economies, encouraging eastern European countries to transition from communist states to capitalist economies.
:check: EU environmental regulations are generally stricter that those of individual nations - like the UK - resulting in higher standards of air quality, beach cleanliness and protection of species and habitats.
:red_cross: the 2008 economic crisis damaged the economies of EU nations.
:red_cross: unemployment rose dramatically in some EU countries (20.9% in Greece in Jan 2018) and the overall unemployment rate is higher in the EU than in the USA.
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economic, social and territorial cohesion and solidarity among member countries
:check: pooling sovereignty - the idea of strengthening a country's resources by combining them with those of partner countries, giving the EU authority to make decisions on their behalf - means EU nations have been able to act as a united front.
:check: the EU is the second largest economy in the world. EU nations make better trade deals with non-EU countries than if they negotiated alone.
:check: the single market is the largest in the world and from 1992-2006 it created more than 2.5 mill jobs and encouraged economic growth.
:check: the EU protects workers' rights.
:check: the EU provides great levels of funding to less economically developed regions - like Wales - to reduce disparities across the EU.
:red_cross: Brexit shows limitations of EU solidarity as UK left.
:red_cross: strong anti-eu voices in other countries have made calls to leave also.
:red_cross: the EU's goal or 'ever-closer union' has been criticised by leaders in some countries - like Italy and the Netherlands.
:red_cross: the single market has been criticised.
:red_cross: after the EU enlarged in 2004 to include 10 new states, high levels of migration from eastern European countries to the UK led to calls for an end to freedom of movement.
:red_cross: despite being given more than £245 mill than it pays in each year form the EU, Wales voted to leave.
:red_cross: socioeconomic inequality is growing in the EU.
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