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regionalism and the eu - Coggle Diagram
regionalism and the eu
5.1: regionalism
interconnectedness and interdependence relate to economic and trade matters as well as issues regarding health, science, communication technology, crime and security
common problems facing states has resulted in increasing move for states to form and join multilateral regional organisations rather than dealing with issues independently
examples of regionalism: the european union, african union, arab league, north american free trade agreement, associastion of south east asian nations
regionalism faces challenges in the future: states dont like giving up sovereignty and nation have a strong desire to govern themselves
led to brexit in 2016, nationalistic parties have gained support across europe
different forms of regionalism:
attempts to differentiate types of regionalism fall into three categories: economic, security and political
economic
: focuses on financial trade aspects of regional co-operation, types of regional organisations are trade blocs - vast majority of countries now belong to a regional trade bloc
security
: involves regional organisations trying to achieve peace and security - some aim to achieve stability by enhancing interdependence and interconnectedness which makes war impossible due to the closeness of interactions between member states - others achieve peace through binding member states against a common enemy - ASEAN shared fear of growth in communism in south east asia
politica
l: states that share the same values seek to protect them and to enhance their standing and voice in the world - AU and the arab league
one difficulty with this categorisation is that there is considerable overlap between the three types of regionalism - security achieved through economic cooperation, protection of values achieved through security and economics
debates about and the reasons and significance of regionalism
:
relationships between regionalism and globalisation
:
globalisation is the increasing interdependence and interconnectedness of states in the world
economic, political and social are the main forms and each can be heightened by regionalism where states in a region co-operate on an economic, security or political level
for example
: attempts by the EU NAFTA and ASEAN to increase trade between member states is directly in line with economic globalisation
many economists see trade as a good thing for a states economy as it brings greater competition and economies of scale
however there will always be individual losers who cannot effectively compete in larger tougher markets which can lead to scaling back of industries and job losses
states join regional organisations because they enable the individual states to improve their leverage in the international system against global companies, and to develop their comparative advantage
regional organisations also defend against globalisation by pooling their sovereignty
political globalisation and regionalism are linked as they are effectively the same thing - the co operation of states to aid governance and solve mutual problems
it is argued that democracy is undermined by supranational or intergovernmental bodies that make binding decisions beyond the reach of the people
critics of globalisation criticise regionalism and regional organisations as enhancing and furthering globalisation
NAFTA perceived as leading to the outsourcing of jobs in mexico resulting in industry closures and job losses in the usa
people who have lost their jobs to immigrants may feel alienated by the pace of change in a globalised era may blame regional organisations for exacerbating and deepening the proccess
regional organisations and globalisation are also seen to benefit 'big corporations' an transnational corporations such as coca cola rather than ordinary people
trade increases and is is seen to benefit tncs over local or national produces critics argue that consumers are all purchasing the same goods, services and culture
leads to cultural homogenisation - states cannot protect their own industries or producers because the terms of economic regional organisations tend to limit this
some argue that this process benefits the USA most as it controls much of the culture industry and many globally known products
the eu would argue that these regional organisations are actually a way of controlling and limiting the impact of globalisation - globalisation is a powerful force that can affect the sovereignty of countries but cooperation and pooling sovereignty is an effective way for countries to fight back
regional approach is controversial due to its impact on sovereignty and democracy - pooling of sovereignty states are not able to control all aspects of the negotiations and will have to make compromises
prospects for political regionalism and regional governance
:
more regionalism
:
countries queuing to join the EU and most countries are members of a regional trade bloc
there must be some reason for states to want to do this
ASEAN is continuing to integrate not just economic areas but also political security and socio-cultural pillars
arab league has been vociferous in the syrian civil was and has suspended syria
even with the uk voting to leave the eu there will still be enhanced trade and cooperation between the eu and the uk
the problems that led to the formation of regional organisations have not gone away - issues like climate change and immigration seem likely to get worse
revival of traditional fears in europe of power and intentions of russia, china and north korea - security remains key concern
what alternatives are there would people acc be better off if regionalism was to be reversed
less regionalism
:
2016 uk voted to leave the eu
ASEAN does not take bold steps and there are disagreements over democracy, human rights and good governance in the bloc
arab league has achieved very little in the syrian civil war - countries are too desperate and self-interested
significant opposition in the usa to NAFTA and other economic regionalism like TTP and TTIP
real democratic support for 'taking control' of decision making in the UK, USA and much of europe
strong reaction to economic globalisation and the power of TNCs, regionalism appears to many to benefit the big corporations at the expense of the 'ordinary person'
cooperation is necessary but it does not have to be achieved through such formal structures which may seem illegitimate and ineffective
impact on state sovereignty
:
sovereignty = key concept in international relations
type of sovereignty
:
legal/de jure
states can leave organisations there is no compulsion in the international system so states are free to follow their own interests - UK and EU 2016
political/de facto
states need to cooperate through regional organisations and therefore may be seen to have surrendered sovereignty - some states may feel they increase their sovereignty by pooling it
external/state/national
sovereignty could be seen as reduced as states need to compromise and give up some controls to achieve common goals - some states may feel they have more sovereignty through pooling it
internal
states are legally sovereign within their own territory but by co-operating through regional organisations they may lose control over law-making powers
eg. eu law is higher than national law for eu member states, national legislation may be over ruled, eu states cannot control immigration from other eu states
zero-sum
it is clear cut that states have less sovereignty - the more sovereignty you give away to an organisation or supranational authority the less you have
pooled
pooling sovereignty states can increase their power, influence and therefore sovereignty in the world
5.2: development of regional organisations excluding the EU
:
NAFTA - founded 1992 effective 1994
original members:
USA
canada
mexico
role and objectives:
role; free trade agreements eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and investment on goods and services
objective: improve trade and prosperity for the three signatory states
development: donald trump had pledged to rewrite the agreement - believes NAFTA was the 'worst trade deal ever' because americans had lost jobs
AU - founded 1999 effective 2002
original members: 54
role and objectives:
role: accelerating the process of integration in the continent to enable it to play its rightful role in the global economy while addressing multifaceted social, economic and political problems, compounded as they are by certain negative aspects of globalisation
objectives: to ride the continent of remaining vestiges of colonisations and apartheid, to promote unity and solidarity among african states, to co-ordinate and intensify co-operation for development, to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, to promote international co-operation within the framework of the united nations
development: replaced the organisation of african unity (OAU)
arab league - founded 1945
original members:
egypt
jordan
iraq
yemen
lebanon
saudi arabia
syria
objectives: to encourage cooperation and the pursuit of common interests among the arab speaking states in africa and the middle east
developments: now has 22 member states including palestine but the organisation is divided - in part due to the syrian civil war
ASEAN - founded 1967
original members:
indonesia
malaysia
phillippines
singapore
thailand
objectives:
to promote peace and stability in the region
to ensure adherence to the principles of the UN charter and the rule of law
to encourage economic, social, cultural, technological and educational development
development:
grown from 5 to 10 members
5.3: factors that have fostered european intergration and major developments through which this has occured
how the european union formed
1951: formation fo the european coal and steel community (ECSC)
six members - belgium, france, italy, luxembourg, netherlands and west germany - create a 'supranational' institution to decide how much coal and steel each country produces
each country was no longer in control of its own steel and coal production so no country could rearm and produce the materials needed for war
1957: creation of the european economic community (EEC) or common market
through the treaty of rome, the six countries of the ECSC set up a common market to facilitate trade and economic growth
the aim is to bring about peace, stability and prosperity for the six member states
1973: expansion of the eec
denmark, ireland and the united kingdom join the eu, raising the number of member states to nine
1986: the single european act
creation of the single market and the attempted elimination of non tariff barriers to trade - more powers are passed from states to the eu
1993: establishment of the european union
after the masstricht traty, the single market is completed with the 'four freedoms' of movement of goods, services, people and money
1995: start of the passport free schengen area
as part of the free movement of people, passport controls at frontiers are removed
2002: introduction of euro notes and coins in the eurozone
12 states started using the same physical currency - 19 do today
2004 european consitution
an attempt to simplify and put in one place the treaties of the european union, but after rejection by voters in the netherlands and france it is binned
establishment and powers of key eu institutions and the process of enlargement
:
european commission
membership: 28 commissioners, one from each country but giving up their national loyalties - each has a specific role as head of directorate general
role: proposes laws and the eu budget, oversees eu law implementation, guardian of the treaties
represents: europe and the common european interest
european council
membership: heads of gov of the member states
role: makes key political decisions, sets political agenda
represents: member states
council of the european union
ministers from the govs of the member states
membership: ministers from the governments of the member states
role: passes, amends and rejects legislation
represents: member states
european parliament:
membership: 751 directly elected MEPs from the 28 member states
role: passes, amends and rejects legislation, approves the commision
represents: people of the european union
court of justice of the european union
membership: one judge from each member state
role: interprets eu law
represents: justice
EU enlargement
1995
countries: austria, finland, sweeden
reasons/dynamics: western democracies were neutral during the cold war which had now ended, enabling membership
membership: 15
2004
countries: cyprus, czech republic, estonia, hungary, latvia, lithuania, malta, poland, slovakia, slovenia
24
reasons/dynamics: eight former soviet or soviet bloc countries entrenching democracy and capitalism joined malta and cyprus which also met accession criteria by 2004
2007
countries: bulgaria, romania
reasons/dynamics: former soviet bloc countries entrenching democracy and capatalism
membership: 27
1986
countries: portugal, spain
reasons/dynamics: entrenching democracy after facist dictatorships
membership: 12
1981
countries: greece
dynamic/reasons: entrenching democracy after facist dictatorships
membership: 10
2013
countries: croatia
reasons/dynamics: former yugoslav country entrenching democracy and capitalism
membership: 28
1973
countries: denmark, republic of ireland, united kingdom
reasons/dynamic: uk felt they had missed the boat as eec countries were growing faster economically
membership: 9
1958
countries: belgium, france, italy, luxemburg, netherlands, west germany
reasons/dynamic: original and founder countries of the european coal and steel community and the european economic community
membership: 6
key treaties and agreements
:
amsterdam 1997
main features: strengthened foreign policy cooperation, greater powers for european parliament, more use of qmv in the council of ministers, some preparation for eastward enlargement
eu development: widening and deepening of the eu
nice 2000
main features: further preparations for eastward enlargement, greater use of qmv in the council of ministers
eu development: widening and deepening of the eu
treaty on the european union 1992
main features: made the change from the eec to the eu including further integration and cooperation, greater powers for the european parliament, more use of qualified majority voting in the council of ministers, made provision fro the single currency and the social chapter
eu development: european project is now not just focused on economics, but also the pillars of justice, home affairs and also foreign policy
the european consitution 2004 (withdrawn)
main features: intended to replace all previous treaties into one document, more powers for the commission and parliament, exit clause suggested
eu development: further integration, to many the eu looks increasingly like a state itself
single european act 1986
main features: made provision for the single market
eu development: biggest transfer of sovereignty to the eu from states in order to make the single market work
lisbon 2007
main features: more powers for the commission and parliament, european external action service, high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy/vice president of the european commission, president of the council and president of the commission
eu development: further intergration
rome: 1957
main features: set up the eec, including the institutional framework
eu development: eec formed
economic and monetary union
:
introduction of the single european currency is seen by some as the most significant act of integration of european countries since the european project began
binds countries of europe together in an economic, trade and political bloc making war impossible
advances towards political integration and even a united states of europe
for others the euro is a symptom of the madness that is the european project - triumph of ideology and dogma over reality and common sense
one size fits all approach, economic project is damaging to states, companies and individuals and is even the source of recent low growth and high unemployment in greece, italy, spain and portugal
supranational versus intergovernmental approaches
:
intergovernmental decision making is still used in the eu in some areas although it has declined over the years
requires unanimity so states have a veto or blocking vote
foreign policy requires unanimity - harder to make decisions that are agreeable to all members
must be unanimity between all current members for new states to be admitted or treaties to be adopted or amended
difficulty of achieving unanimity and the ability of one state to veto decisions makes the leaders of eu states reluctant to change treaties without pressing need
2016 - regional parliament of wallonia in belgium threatened to veto the eu-canadian free trade deal known as CETA - this threatened to derail the whole proccess
supranational institutions make decisions that are binding on nations
eu is the only truly supranational organisation in the world with bodies like the european commission and the court of just of the european union and forms of supranational decision making in the council of the european union
supranational nature of the ec and ecj is like neutral referee in a football match if players or teams demanded the rights to award their own fouls or penalties the match would not be fair of effective
key requirement of membership of the eu is the acknowledgement that decisions of the ec and the ecj are binding
the eu would not work effectively if the states held on to their sovereignty
the single market only works because the ec and the ecj are independant of the states and their decisions are binding
introduction of the single market
was felt that states could not be relied upon to refrain from pursuing their own national interests
the single market requires states to allow the sale of products in their domestic market from other eu states provided they are safe and not detrimental to public health
the cassis de dijon case: ban in germany to allow from the preservation of their own fruit liqueurs and schnapps market/protectionist - deemed unlawful by the ecj as the product was not damaging to public health
qualified majority voting (QMV)
:
5.4 significance of the eu as an international body/global actor, including the constraints and obstacles
:
the eu's political, economic, structural and military influence and obstacles
political influence in global politics
strengths: most successful body of its kind, through enlargement, the eu can get countries to change their ways to get in eg. croatia, serbia, can mould gobal opinions on environmental issues - influential at paris and kyoto
weaknesses: 28 member states - different national interests
economic influence in global politics
strengths: 508 million citizens, largest single market in the world, TTIP, eu states represented at WTO by the commission, giving leverage and clout
weaknesses: eurozone crisis, brexit
structural influence in global politics
strengths: different national interests within institutions, agreement and habit of working together, uk and france both permanent members of the un security council, eu represented at G20 in its own right, IMF has europe office primarily to deal with the eu
weaknesses: different histories, traditions, cultures, different geo-political priorities
military influence in global politics
strenghts: NATO, EEAS battlegroups, berlin group, rapid reaction force, example of mali
weaknesses: separate national militaries, not all eu members in NATO, different defence priorities (russia)
5.5 the ways and extent to which regionalism addresses and resolves contemporary global issues:
regionalism is a recognition of shared interests of states such as reducing conflict and poverty or protection of human rights and the environment
regional problems require regional solutions
european union prime example of linking of these two points; cannot isolate from the world's problems + shared interests ASEAN is another
regional organisations set up to avoid conflict, to improve relations between neighbours and to facilitate trade - win win for all parties
growth of trade should reduce poverty so trade should be encouraged
regionalism is a system set up in the anarchy of the westphalian system - no compulsion in the international system but regionalism imposes the rule of law on countries
states have to play by the rules otherwise no one would play by the rules
human rights protection through states agreeing to uphold and protect
most environmental problems need multilateral approaches - regional blocs that have agreed on approaches or solutions can drive forward ambitious targets
if the argument is that states cannot put aside economic interests to save the planet then regions that do exactly that are powerful examples to the rest of the world