The European Union Explained, Third Edition

Andreas Staab

Description

A timely and accessible guide to the EU

This brief and accessible introduction to the European Union is ideal for anyone who needs a concise overview of the structure, history, and policies of the EU. This updated edition includes a new chapter on the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone. Andreas Staab offers basic terms and interpretive frameworks for understanding the evolution of the EU; the overall structure, purpose, and mandate of its main constituent divisions; and key policy areas, such as market unification and environmental policy.

Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
List of Tables

Part 1. The Evolution of the European Union
1. Parameters of European Integration
2. Enlargement
Part 2. Institutions
3. The European Commission
4. The European Council
5. The Council of Ministers
6. The European Parliament
7. The European Court of Justice
8. Checks and Balances
Part 3. Policies
9. The Single Market and Competition
10. Regional Policy and Cohesion
11. The Common Agricultural Policy
12. Economic and Monetary Union
13. Justice and Home Affairs
14. Common Foreign and Security Policy
15. Trade and the Common Commercial Policy
16. Environment
Part 4. Crisis and Future Plans
17. The Eurozone and the Sovereign Debt Crisis
18. The Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020

Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Social Science
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Diplomacy
• News
• International business
• General officer
• Social sciences
• Politics
• Economics
• Business
• General
• Diplomatie (homonymie)
• History
• International
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 15 juillet 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9780253009760
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE EUROPEAN UNION EXPLAINED
THE EUROPEAN UNION EXPLAINED
THIRD EDITION
Andreas Staab
Institutions Actors Global Impact
Indiana University Press
Bloomington Indianapolis
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
www.iupress.indiana.edu
Telephone orders 800-842-6796
Fax orders 812-855-7931
2013 by Andreas Staab
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-00972-2 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-253-00976-0 (eb)
1 2 3 4 5 18 17 16 15 14 13
To Sophia and Luisa. Europeans by birth and maybe even by choice.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
List of Tables
PART ONE THE EVOLUTION OF THE EU
1 Parameters of European Integration
2 Enlargement
PART TWO INSTITUTIONS
3 The European Commission
4 The European Council
5 The Council of Ministers
6 The European Parliament
7 The European Court of Justice
8 Checks and Balances
PART THREE POLICIES
9 The Single Market and Competition
10 Regional Policy and Cohesion
11 The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
12 Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
13 Justice and Home Affairs
14 Common Foreign and Security Policy
15 Trade and the Common Commercial Policy
16 Environment
17 The Sovereign Debt Crisis in the Eurozone
Outlook: The Future of European Integration
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Preface
The European Union (EU) today differs considerably from the integration project that began in the 1950s. Initially conceived as a way to safeguard peace and enable economic recovery among six Western European countries, the EU has developed into one of the world s most formidable trading blocs spanning much of the European continent. Its future, however, is very much in flux. The controversies over the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and disagreements concerning policy reforms and how to finance them evoked fundamental disagreements over the future direction of the EU. The Eurozone s sovereign debt crisis brought economic hardships to many countries which prompted some analysts to conclude that Economic and Monetary Union had indeed been a step too far for European integration. Given the prospect of enlargement to the western Balkans and Turkey, a growing number of member state governments argue for less Europe, while others view the events of recent years as compelling reasons for ambitious policy and institutional reforms.
Regardless of the outcome of this debate, the European Union represents a hugely influential vehicle for organizing Europe and constitutes a unique experiment of deep international cooperation. Economically, at least until the Eurozone crisis, it has boosted prosperity levels. Politically it has fostered the democratic transition of former fascist and communist dictatorships. It has helped to overcome the artificial division of Europe caused by the Iron Curtain and the Cold War, and has also assumed a global vanguard position in the fight against climate change. On the other hand, the EU has often been criticized for favoring big business over the economic and social needs of its citizens. Others accuse the EU of lacking transparency and accountability in its institutional processes, and some claim that European integration has led to the gradual erosion of national and cultural differences and traditions, while many citizens in countries affected by the financial meltdown that was caused by the sovereign debt crisis began to question the legitimacy and viability of the European project.
For these reasons the EU remains a highly intriguing subject, as it offers clear examples of the impact of politics on societies. The EU is not the European equivalent of the United States of America, but it is also much more than a traditional international organization. Throughout its existence, European leaders have continually been faced with far-reaching decisions: Which issues are better organized at the EU level and which should remain under the domain of national governments? Must member states give up parts of their national sovereignty for the sake of creating an ever closer union? To what extent should national differences prevail on how to organize a society s political, economic, social, and cultural spheres? From these perspectives, the past decades of the European integration project have given us valuable lessons in state building and the choices confronting political leaders and citizens.
This book offers a broad overview of the politics and policies of the European Union. Part 1 focuses on the key economic and political parameters but also the main actors and processes that have shaped the EU integration process, concluding with a discussion of enlargement that charts the development of the EU into a union of twenty-seven member states. Part 2 discusses the EU s institutional mechanisms and main actors, and part 3 deals with crucial policies and their impact on European societies and the wider world.
In recent years the EU has been the subject of a broad range of books and academic articles. To my knowledge, however, the overwhelming majority of publications are directed at an audience already tuned in to the language of political science and its related analytical and methodological concepts. Postgraduate and academic readership, in particular, seems to have a comprehensive library of materials on the EU. On the other hand, a number of publications portray the EU in a rather basic and rudimentary light. I was encouraged by the often positive feedback-not only from students but also from the general public -which the first and second edition received. It led me to the tentative conclusion that this book contributed to closing this gap, by offering an in-depth yet concise introduction to the European Union and its institutions and policies in a style accessible to undergraduate as well as high school students, indeed to any reader, young or old, academic or professional, with an interest in politics and history.
Since the publication of the second edition in the spring of 2011, the European Union has yet again undergone a remarkable transformation. The worldwide economic crises caused financial havoc for some members of the Eurozone and brought Economic and Monetary Union-one of the cornerstones of European integration of recent years-into disrepute. But shockwaves were not only felt in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, or Greece; the five countries most tragically affected. Other Eurozone members and a host of EU actors frantically tried to bring the crisis under control in an attempt to place Economic and Monetary Union onto a firmer institutional and procedural footing. The speed and extent of the changes to EU governance, which emanated from the near-collapse of the Eurozone clearly merited an additional chapter. The third edition also offers updates on institutional developments, as well as on all other policy chapters. To provide a coherent understanding of the subject, I highlight a number of key issues surrounding the main areas of debate and controversy. For those seeking more advanced study, a list of publications organized according to the book s chapters is provided at the end.
Andreas Staab
London, July 2012
Acknowledgments
This book first took shape as a series of handouts designed for participants in seminars organized by EPIC-the European Policy Information Centre-which itself originated within the European Institute at the London School of Economics, where I taught until the summer of 2000. During that year a number of colleagues encouraged me to establish EPIC as an independent training agency and consultancy. Over the years we have been fortunate to work with civil servants, ministers, Supreme Court judges, businesspeople, and representatives from the nonprofit sector, as well as high school and university students from a number of EU accession and candidate countries. Thus the book has been shaped by the experiences of those for whom the EU is of practical relevance in their professional lives, as well as of individuals for whom Europe represents a panacea that may ultimately deliver political stability and economic prosperity.
Created for people for whom English is not their mother tongue, our courses, of necessity, were conducted in a style stripped of excessive academic jargon. It was Martin Lodge, a former colleague from the London School of Economics and a current EPIC associate, who suggested that the course handouts that accompany our seminars would be suitable for an undergraduate and indeed a nonacademic audience, and thus this book was born.
Several colleagues and friends of the EPIC family have offered much appreciated guidance and support, enabling me to narrow my own knowledge gaps and enhance my understanding of EU affairs. I am indebted to Martin Lodge, who added factual and analytical depth to the text. Charles Dannreuther was behind the conceptualization of the first chapter as well as the chapter on the environment. Bruce Ross was a valuable sounding board regarding the intricacies of the Common Agricultural Policy, and Bob Hanck talked me through some of the intricacies of EMU. My thanks also go to the EPIC team, who had worked tirelessly with authorities in Bosnia and Herzego