EntranceAll about the European Union. History and stages of creation and development of the European Union. European Union Bodies
European Union - regional integration of European states
History of creation, member countries of the union, rights, goals, objectives and policies of the European Union
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The European Union is, the definition
The European Union is economic and political association of enterprises from 28 European countries, aimed at their regional integration. Legally, this union was secured by the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force on November 1, 1993, on the principles of the European Communities. unites five hundred million inhabitants.
European Union- This unique international education: it combines the characteristics of an international company and states, but formally is neither one nor the other. Union is not subject to international public law, however, has the authority to participate in international relations and plays a large role in them.
EU is association of enterprises European states involved in the process European integration.
Through a standardized system of laws in force in all countries union, a general one was created, guaranteeing the free movement of people, goods, capital and services, including the abolition of passport control within the Schengen area, which includes both member states and other European states. The union adopts laws (directives, legislative acts and regulations) in the field of justice and home affairs, and also develops a common policy in the field of trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Seventeen countries of the union introduced a single currency into circulation, forming the eurozone.
Being a subject of international public law, the union has the authority to participate in international relations and conclude international treaties. A common foreign and security policy has been formed, providing for a coordinated foreign and defense politicians. Permanent diplomatic missions of the Union have been established around the world, there are representative offices in firms United Nations, G8 and G20. Delegations of the European Union are headed by the Ambassadors of the European Union. In certain areas, decisions are made by independent supranational institutions, while in others they are carried out through negotiations between member states. The most important institutions of the European Union are the European Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Auditors and Central Europe. elected every five years by the citizens of the European Union.European Union (The European Union) - This
Member States of the European Union
The European Union includes 28 countries: Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, ( except for the northern part of the island), Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia.
European Union (The European Union) is
Special and Dependent Territories of EU Member States
Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies of the United Kingdom of Great Britain England and Northern Ireland ( Britain) entering the EU through England's membership under the Accession Act 1972: Channel Islands: Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney is part of the Crown Dependency of Guernsey, Sark is part of the Crown Dependence of Guernsey, Herm is part of the Crown Dependency of Guernsey, Gibraltar, Isle of Man ,Special Territories outside of Europe, included in the European Union: Azores, Guadeloupe, Canary Islands, Madeira, Martinique, Melilla, Reunion, Ceuta, French Guiana
European Union (The European Union) is
Also, according to Article 182 of the agreement on the functioning of the European Union (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), the member countries of the European Union associate with the European Union lands and territories outside that maintain special relations with: Denmark - Greenland, France - New Caledonia, St. Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia, Mayotte, Wallis and Futuna, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, the Netherlands - Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, the United Kingdom - Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Falkland Islands, Pitcairn Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Requirements for candidates to join the EU
To join the European Union, a candidate country must meet the Copenhagen criteria. The Copenhagen criteria are the criteria for countries to join the European Union, which were adopted in June 1993 at a meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen and confirmed in December 1995 at a meeting of the European Council in Madrid. The criteria require that the state observes democratic principles, the principles of freedom and respect for human rights, as well as the principle of the rule of law (art. 6, art. 49 agreements on the European Union). Also, the country must have a competitive market economy, and must recognize general rules and European Union standards, including commitment to the goals of political, economic and monetary union.
History of the development of the European Union
The predecessors of the European Union were: 1951-1957 - European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC); 1957-1967 - European Economic Community (EEC); 1967-1992 - European Communities (EEC, Euratom, ECSC); since November 1993 - the European Union. The name "European Communities" is often used to refer to all stages of the development of the European Union. Ideas of Pan-Europeanism, long put forward by thinkers throughout history , sounded with particular force after the Second World War. In the post-war period, a number of organizations appeared on the continent: the Council of Europe, NATO, and the Western European Union.
The first step towards the creation of a modern European Union was taken in 1951: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Italy signed treaty on the establishment of a European business associations coal and steel (ECSC, ECSC - European Coal and Steel Community), the purpose of which was to unite enterprises European resources for the production of steel and coal, this entered into force in July 1952. In order to deepen economic integration, the same six states in 1957 established the European Economic Community (EEC, General market) (EEC - European Economic Community) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom, Euratom - European Atomic Energy Community). The most important and broadest of these three European communities was the EEC, so in 1993 it was officially renamed the European Community (EC - European Community).
European Union (The European Union) is
process development and transformation of these European communities into the modern European Union took place through, firstly, the transfer of all more management functions to the supranational level and, secondly, to increase the number of integration participants.
On the territory of Europe, the Western Roman Empire, the Frankish, and the Holy Roman Empire were single state entities comparable in size to the European Union. During the last millennium, it was fragmented. European thinkers tried to come up with a way to unite Europe. The idea of creating the United States of Europe originally arose after the American Revolution.
This idea has received new life after World War II wars, when the need for its implementation was announced by Winston Churchill, who called on September 19, 1946 in his speech at the University of Zurich to create the "United States of Europe", similar to the United States of America. As a result, in 1949 the Council of Europe was created - company, which still exists (Russia is also a member). The Council of Europe, however, was (and remains) something of a regional equivalent of the UN, focusing its activities on the problems of ensuring human rights in European countries .
First stage of European integration
In 1951 Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Italy created the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC - European Coal and Steel Community), the purpose of which was to unite the enterprises of European resources for the production of steel and coal, which, according to its founders, was supposed to prevent another war in Europe. England refused to participate in this company for reasons of national sovereignty. In order to deepen economic integration, the same six states in 1957 established the European Economic Community (EEC, General market) (EEC - European Economic Community) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom - European Atomic energy community). The EEC was created primarily as six states, designed to ensure the freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and people.
Euratom was supposed to contribute to the unification of the enterprises of the peaceful nuclear resources of these states. The most important of these three European communities was the European Economic Community, so that later (in the 1990s) it became known simply as the European Community (EC - European Community). The EEC was established by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, which entered into force on January 1, 1958. In 1959, the members of the EEC created European Parliament- a representative advisory, and later a legislative body. The process of development and transformation of these European communities into the modern EU took place through structural simultaneous evolution and institutional transformation into a more cohesive block of states with the transfer of an increasing number of management functions to the supranational level (the so-called process European integration, or grooves union of states), on the one hand, and an increase in the number of members of the European communities (and later the European Union) from 6 to 27 states ( extensions union of states).
The second stage of European integration
In January 1960, Britain and a number of other countries that were not members of the EEC formed an alternative company, the European Free Trade Association. trade. England, however, soon realized that the EEC was a much more efficient association of enterprises, and decided to join the EEC. Her example was followed by Ireland and, whose economy was significantly dependent on trade with England. A similar decision was also made. The first attempt in 1961-1963, however, ended in failure due to the fact that the French de Gaulle vetoed the decision on the entry of new members into the EEC. The result of the accession negotiations in 1966-1967 was similar. In 1967, three European communities (the European Coal and Steel Association, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community) united to form the European Community.
The matter moved forward only after General Charles de Gaulle was replaced by Georges Pompidou in 1969. After several years of negotiations and adaptation of legislation, Britain joined the European Union on January 1, 1973. In 1972, referendums were held on joining the European Union in Ireland, Denmark and Norway. The population of Ireland (83.1%) and Denmark(63.3%) supported accession to the European Union, but Norway it did not receive a majority (46.5%). in 1973, Israel also received the entry. However, due to the Yom Kippur War, negotiations were interrupted. And in 1975, instead of membership in the EEC, Israel signed an agreement on associative cooperation (membership). applied for membership in the European Union in June 1975 and became a member of the community on January 1, 1981. In 1979, the first direct elections were held in European Parliament.In 1985, Greenland received internal self-government and after referendum withdrew from the European Union. and applied in 1977 and became members of the European Union on January 1, 1986. In February 1986, the Single European Act was signed in Luxembourg.
European Union (The European Union) is
The third stage of European integration
In 1992, all states that are members of the European Community signed an agreement on the creation of the European Union - the Maastricht Treaty. The Maastricht Treaty established three pillars of the European Union (pillars):1. Economic and Monetary Union (EMU),2. General external politics and security policy (CFSP),3. General policy in the field of internal affairs and justice. In 1994, Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden held referenda on accession to the European Union. The majority of Norwegians again vote against. Austria, (with the Åland Islands) and Sweden become members of the European Union on January 1, 1995. Only Liechtenstein and Liechtenstein remain members of the European Free Trade Association. Members of the European Community signed the Treaty of Amsterdam (entered into force in 1999). The main changes under the Amsterdam Treaty concerned: foreign policy and the security policy of the CFSP, the creation of a "space of freedom, security and law and order", coordination in the field of justice, the fight against terrorism and organized crime.
Fourth stage of European integration
October 9, 2002 recommended 10 candidate states for EU accession in 2004: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta. The population of these 10 countries was about 75 million; their combined GDP at PPP (note: purchasing power) is approximately US$840 billion, roughly equal to GDP Spain.This enlargement of the European Union can be called one of the most ambitious projects of the European Union to date. The need for such a step was dictated by the desire to draw a line under the disunity of Europe, which had lasted since the end of the Second World War, and firmly tie the countries of Eastern Europe to the West in order to prevent them from falling back to communist methods of rule. Cyprus was included in this list because it was insisted on by the , which otherwise threatened to veto the entire plan as a whole.
At the conclusion of negotiations between the "old" and future "new" members of the European Union, a positive final decision was announced on December 13, 2002. The European Parliament approved the decision on April 9, 2003. On April 16, 2003 in Athens, 15 "old" and 10 "new" members of the European Union signed an agreement on accession(). In 2003, referendums were held in nine states (with the exception of the Republic), and then the signed agreement was ratified by parliaments. On May 1, 2004, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta became members of the European Union. After accession to the European Union of ten new countries, the level economic development which are noticeably lower than the European average, the leaders of the European Union found themselves in a position where the main burden of budgetary spending on the social sphere, subsidies to agriculture, etc. falls right on them. At the same time, these countries do not want to increase the share of contributions to the all-Union in excess of the 1% level determined by the EU documents. GDP.
The second problem is that, after the enlargement of the European Union, the principle of making the most important decisions by consensus proved to be less effective. At referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005, the draft of a single basic law of the state of the European Union was rejected, and the entire European Union still lives on a number of fundamental agreements. On January 1, 2007, the next expansion of the European Union took place - the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into it. The EU has previously warned these countries that Romania and Bulgaria still have a lot to do in the area of fighting corruption and reforming legislation. In these matters, Romania, according to European officials, lagged behind, retaining the remnants of socialism in the structure of the economy and not meeting the standards of the European Union.
On December 17, 2005, the official status of a candidate for joining the European Union was granted to Macedonia. On February 21, 2005, the European Union signed an action plan with Ukraine. This was probably the result of the fact that forces came to power in Ukraine whose foreign policy strategy is aimed at joining the European Union. At the same time, according to the leadership of the European Union, it is not worth talking about Ukraine's full membership in the European Union, since the new authorities a lot needs to be done to prove that Ukraine has a full-fledged economy that meets world standards, and to carry out political, economic and social reforms.
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Candidates for membership of the union and "refuseniks"
Not all European countries intend to participate in the European integration process. Twice in national referendums (1972 and 1994) rejected offer on accession to the European Union, the population of Norway. Not part of the European Union Iceland.In a frozen state is the application of Switzerland, the entry of which was stopped by a referendum. This country, however, joined the Schengen Agreement on January 1, 2007. The small states of Europe - Andorra, the Vatican, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino are not members of the European Union. They are not part of the European Union having an autonomous status within Denmark Greenland (withdrew after the referendum of 1985) and the Faroe Islands, the Finnish autonomy of the Åland Islands and the overseas territory of Britain - Gibraltar participate in the European Union to a limited and not full extent, other dependent territories of England - Maine, Guernsey and Jersey are not part of the European Union at all.
European Union (The European Union) is
In Denmark, the people voted in the referendum on joining the European Union (on the signing of the Maastricht Agreement) only after the government promised not to switch to a single currency Euro, so Danish kroner is still in circulation in Denmark.
The date for the start of negotiations on accession with Croatia has been determined, the official status of a candidate member of the European Union of Macedonia has been granted, which practically guarantees the entry of these countries into the European Union. A number of documents related to Turkey and Ukraine have also been signed, but the specific prospects for the entry of these states into the European Union are still are not clear.
The new leadership of Georgia has also repeatedly announced its intention to join the European Union, but no specific documents that would at least ensure the start of the negotiation process on this issue have yet to be signed and, most likely, will not be signed until the conflict with the unrecognized states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A similar problem with progress towards European integration exists in Moldova - the leadership of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldavian Republic does not support Moldova's aspirations to join the EU. At present, the prospects for Moldova's accession to the European Union are very vague.
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It should be noted that the European Union has experience in accepting the Republic of Cyprus, which also does not have full control over the territory officially recognized by it. However, the entry of the Republic of Cyprus into the European Union took place after a referendum held simultaneously in both parts of the island, and while the population of the unrecognized Turkish Republic The majority of the Northern Republic of Cyprus voted for the reintegration of the island into a single state, the trust was blocked by the Greek side, which eventually joined the European Union alone. The prospects for such states to join the European Union are unclear Balkan Peninsula like Albania and Bosnia due to their low level of economic development and unstable political environment. This can be said even more about Serbia, whose province of Kosovo is currently under the international protectorate of NATO and the UN. Montenegro, which left the union with Serbia as a result of a referendum, openly declared its desire for European integration and the issue of timing and the procedure for this republic's accession to the European Union is now the subject of negotiations.
Of the other states, wholly or partly located in Europe, did not conduct any negotiations and did not make any attempts to start the process of European integration: Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, Kazakhstan. Since 1993, Azerbaijan has declared its interest in relations with the European Union and started planning relations with him in various fields. In 1996 The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H. Aliyev signed an "agreement on partnership and cooperation" and established official ties. Russia has repeatedly announced through officials its unwillingness to fully join the European Union, proposing instead to implement the concept of "four common spaces", accompanied by "road maps" and facilitating the cross-border movement of citizens, economic integration and cooperation in a number of other areas. The only exception was the statement made at the end of November 2005 to the General Secretary of the USSR V.V. Putin that he “would be happy if Russia received an invitation to join the European Union. However, this statement was accompanied by a proviso that he himself would not apply for admission to the European Union.
European Union (The European Union) is
An important point is that Russia and Belarus, which signed the agreement on the creation of the union, could not, in principle, begin any actions for independent entry into the European Union without terminating this agreement. From countries outside the European Continent, they have repeatedly declared their European integration the intentions of the African states of Morocco and Cape Verde (formerly the Cape Verde Islands) - the latter, with the political support of its former mother country - Portugal, in March 2005 began official attempts to apply for membership.
Rumors are regularly circulated about the possible start of movement towards the full entry into the European Union of Tunisia, Algeria and Israel, but so far such a prospect should be considered illusory. So far, these countries, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian National Authority and the aforementioned Morocco, have been offered participation in the “partner-neighbors” program as a compromise measure, which implies obtaining the status of associate members of the European Union in some distant future.
European Union (The European Union) is
The expansion of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (European Union) through the entry of new member states into it. The process began with the Inner Six (the 6 founding countries of the European Union), which organized the European Coal and Steel Association (the forerunner of the European Union) in 1951. Since then, 27 states have gained membership in the European Union, including Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. The European Union is currently reviewing membership applications from several states. Sometimes the expansion of the European Union is also called European integration. However, this term is also used when it comes to increased cooperation between member states of the European Union, as national governments allow the gradual centralization power within the European institutions. In order to join the European Union, the applicant state must satisfy the political and economic conditions commonly known as the Copenhagen Criteria (drafted after the "Copenhagen Meeting" in June 1993.).
European Union (The European Union) is
These conditions are the stability and democracy of the existing government in the country, its respect for the rule of law, as well as the availability of appropriate freedoms and institutions. Under the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state, as well as the European Parliament, must agree on any expansion. Due to the terms that were adopted in the last treaty of the European Union, the "Nice Treaty" (in 2001) - the European Union is protected from further expansion beyond the 27 members, as it is believed that the decision-making processes in the European Union would not be able to cope with a large number of members. The Lisbon Treaty would transform these processes and allow for a bypass of 27 member countries, although the possibility of ratifying such an agreement is questionable.
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EU founding members
The European Coal and Steel Association was proposed by Robert Schuman in his declaration of May 9, 1950, and brought about the association of the coal and steel industries of France and the Western Republic of Germany. This project was joined by the "Benelux countries" - Belgium, Luxembourg and, which have already achieved some degree of integration with each other. These countries were joined by Italy, and they all signed the Treaty of Paris on July 23, 1952. These six countries, dubbed the Inner Six (as opposed to the Outer Seven, which formed the European Free Trade Association and were suspicious of integration), went even further. In 1967, they signed a treaty in Rome that laid the foundation for two communities, collectively known as the "European Communities" after the merger of their leadership.
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The community lost some territories during the era of decolonization; Algeria, until then an integral part of France, and therefore of the community, gained independence on July 5, 1962 and withdrew from its composition. Up until the 1970s there were no expansions; England, which had previously refused to join the community, changed its policy after the Suez crisis and applied for membership in the community. However French the president Charles de Gaulle vetoed British membership, fearing his "American influence".
The first enlargements of the European Union
As soon as de Gaulle left his post, the opportunity to join the Community opened up again. Together with Britain, Denmark, Ireland and Norway applied and received approval, however the Norwegian government lost the national membership in the Community and therefore did not join the Community on 1 January 1973 on an equal footing with other countries. Gibraltar - a British overseas territory - was annexed to the Community with England.
In 1970 there was a restoration in Greece, Spain and Portugal democracy. Greece(in 1981), and after it both Iberian countries (in 1986), received admission to the community. In 1985, Greenland, having received autonomy from Denmark, immediately exercised its right to withdraw from the European Community. Morocco and Turkey applied in 1987, Morocco was rejected because it was not considered a European state. Turkey's application was accepted for consideration, but only in 2000 received the status of a candidate, and only in 2004 did official negotiations begin on Turkey's accession to the Community.
European Union after the Cold War
In 1989-1990, the cold ended, October 3, 1990 Eastern and Western Republic of Germany were reunited. Therefore, Eastern Federal Republic of Germany became part of a community within the unified Federal Republic of Germany. In 1993, the European Community became the European Union on the basis of the Maastricht Agreement of 1993. Some of the states of the European Free Trade Association, which bordered the old Eastern Bloc even before the end of the Cold War, have applied to join the Community.
In 1995 Sweden, Finland and Austria were admitted to the European Union. This became the 4th enlargement of the European Union. The Norwegian government failed at that time the second national membership referendum. The end of the Cold War and the "Westernization" of Eastern Europe made it necessary for the European Union to agree on standards for future new members in order to assess their compliance. According to the Copenhagen criteria, it was decided that the country should be a democracy, have a free and be willing to accept all the right of the European Union, already agreed before.
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EU Eastern Bloc expansions
8 of these countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the Mediterranean island states of Malta and Cyprus entered the union on May 1, 2004. It was the largest expansion in terms of people and territory, although the smallest in terms of GDP (gross domestic product). The lesser development of these countries has made some member countries uneasy, resulting in the adoption of some employment and travel restrictions on citizens of the new member countries. Migration, which would have taken place anyway, gave rise to many political clichés (such as "Polish plumber"), despite the proven benefits of migrants to the economies of these countries. According to the official site European Commission, the signatures of Bulgaria and Romania in the accession treaty mark the end of the fifth enlargement of the European Union.
Criteria for joining the EU
To date, the accession process is accompanied by a number of formal steps, starting with the pre-accession agreement and ending with the ratification of the final accession agreement. These steps are carried out by the European Commission (Directorate General for Enlargement), but the actual negotiations take place between the member countries of the union and the candidate country. In theory, any European country can join the European Union. Council of the EU consults with the Commission and the European Parliament and decides on the start of accession negotiations. The Council shall only reject or approve an application unanimously. To receive approval of the application, the country must meet the following criteria: must be a "European state"; must respect the principles of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law.
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Membership requires the following: Compliance with the Copenhagen Criteria recognized by the Council in 1993:
The stability of institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect and protection of minorities; the existence of a functional market economy, as well as the ability to cope with competitive pressures and market prices within the union; the ability to accept the obligations of membership, including commitment to the political, economic and monetary goals of the union.
In December 1995, the Madrid Council of Europe revised the membership criteria to include conditions for the integration of a member state through appropriate regulation of its administrative structures: since it is important that legislation of the European Union is reflected in national legislation, it is important that the revised national legislation be implemented effectively through the appropriate administrative and judicial structures.
EU accession process
Before a country applies for membership, it usually must sign an associate membership agreement to help prepare the country for candidate and possibly member status. Many countries do not even meet the criteria necessary to start negotiations before they start to apply, so they need many years to prepare for the process. The Associate Membership Agreement helps prepare for this first step.
In the case of the Western Balkans, a special process, the Stabilization and Associative Process, exist in order not to conflict with the circumstances. When a country formally requests membership, the Council asks the Commission for its views on the country's readiness to start negotiations. The Council may accept or reject the opinion of the Commission.
The Council rejected the Commission's opinion only once, in the case of Greece, when the Commission dissuaded the Council from opening negotiations. If the council decides to open negotiations, the verification process begins. It is a process during which the EU and the candidate country explore their the laws and the laws Euro Union, identifying existing differences. After that, the Council recommends that negotiations begin on the "chapters" of the law when it decides that there are enough common ground for constructive negotiations. The negotiation usually consists of the candidate state trying to convince the European Union that its laws and administration are sufficiently developed to comply with European law, which can be implemented as deemed appropriate by the member states.
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On December 17, 2005, the official status of a candidate for EU membership was granted to Macedonia. A date has been set for the start of accession negotiations with Croatia. A number of documents related to Turkey, Moldova and Ukraine have also been signed, but the specific prospects for these states to join the European Union are not yet clear. According to European Union Enlargement Commissioner Ollie Renn, Iceland, Croatia and Serbia may join the European Union in 2010-2011 On April 28, 2008, Albania submitted an official application for joining the European Union. Norway held two referendums on joining the European Union, in 1972 and 1994. At the first referendum, the main fears were connected with the restriction of independence, at the second - with agriculture. In December 2011, an agreement was signed with Croatia on joining the European Union. In July 2013, Croatia became a member of the European Union. In 2009, it applied to join the European Union. On June 13, 2013, an official statement was made about the withdrawal of the application for accession to the European Union.
Key events in the history of deepening EU integration
1951 - Treaty of Paris and the creation of the European Coal and Steel Association (ECSC) 1957 - Treaty of Rome and the creation of the European Economic Communities (used, as a rule, in the singular) (EEC) and Euratom 1965 - merger agreement, which resulted in the creation of a single Council and single Commission for the three European Communities ECSC, EEC and Euratom 1973 - first expansion of the EEC (Denmark, Ireland, Britain joined) 1979 - first popular elections to the European Parliament 1981 - second expansion of the EEC (Greece joined) 1985 - signing of the Schengen Agreement 1986 - Single European Act - the first significant change in the founding treaties of the European Union.
1992 - Maastricht Treaty and the creation of the European Union on the basis of the Communities 1999 - introduction eureka— (in cash circulation since 2002) 2004 — signing fundamental law of the land Euro Union (did not enter into force) 2007 - signing of the reform agreement in Lisbon 2007 - the leaders of France, Italy and Spain announced the creation of a new firm - the Mediterranean Union 2007 - the second wave of the fifth expansion (accession of Bulgaria and Romania). The 50th anniversary of the creation of the EEC is celebrated.2013 - the sixth expansion (Croatia joined)
European Union (The European Union) is
Currently, the three most common attributes of membership in the European Union (membership of the European Union, the Schengen area and the euro area) are not inclusive, but overlapping categories: England and Ireland signed the Schengen Agreement on a limited membership basis. Britain also did not consider it necessary to join the euro area. Denmark and during the referendums also decided to keep national currencies.Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are not members of the European Union, but are part of the Schengen area. Montenegro and the partially recognized state of Kosovo Albanians are neither members of the European Union nor members of the Schengen Agreement, but the euro is the official means of payment in these countries.
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Economy of the European Union
The economy of the European Union, according to the IMF, produces GDP, calculated at PPP, in excess of €12,256.48 trillion ($16,523.78 trillion in 2009). Economy The European Union is a single market and WTO presented as a single company. This is more than 21% of world production. This puts the union's economy in first place in the world in terms of nominal GDP and second in terms of GDP at PPP. In addition, the union is the largest exporter and largest importer of goods and services, as well as the most important trade of several large countries, such as, for example, and. m) is located in the European Union. The unemployment rate in April 2010 was 9.7%, while the level of investment was 18.4% of GDP - 1.5%, the state budget - -0.2%. The level of benefit per capita varies from state to state and ranges from $7,000 to $78,000. AT WTO economy The European Union is presented as a single firm.
European Union (The European Union) is
After the global economic collapse of 2008-2009, the economy of the European Union showed moderate GDP growth in 2010 and 2011, but countries' debts increased in 2011, which became one of the bloc's main problems. IMF economic restructuring programs in Greece, Ireland and Portugal, as well as the consolidation of measures in many other EU member states, significant risks for the economic growth of countries remain at the moment, including high credit dependence of the population, aging of the population. 600 billion. From this fund, the member states of the European Union that are most affected by crisis.In addition, 25 of the 27 member states of the European Union (excluding England and the Czech Republic) have declared their intention to cut public expenses and adopt an austerity program.In September 2012 Central Euro Bank developed an incentive program for countries that have legally proved the introduction of an emergency savings regime in the country.
Currency of the European Union
The official currency of the EU is the euro, which is used in all documents and acts. The Stability and Growth Pact sets out tax criteria to maintain stability and economic convergence. The euro is also the most widely used currency in the European Union and is already used in 17 member states known as the Eurozone.
All other Member States, with the exception of Denmark and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which have special waivers, have committed themselves to adopting the euro once they have met the transition requirements. Sweden, although it refused, announced its possible accession to the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, which is a preliminary step towards entry. The rest of the states intend to join the euro through their accession agreements. Thus, the euro is the single currency for more than 320 million Europeans. In December 2006, there were 610 billion euros in circulation, making this currency the holder of the highest total cost cash circulating around the world, ahead of American dollar.
European Union budget
Functioning The European Union provided a budget of €116 billion in 2007, and €862 billion for period 2007-2013, which is about 1% of the GDP of the European Union. For comparison, expenses Britain alone for 2004 was estimated to be about €759 billion and France, about €801 billion. In 1960, the budget of the then EEC was only 0.03% of GDP.
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Below is a table showing, respectively, GDP (PPP) and GDP (PPP) per capita in the European Union, and for each of the 28 Member States separately, sorted by GDP (PPP) per capita. This can be used for a rough comparison of living standards between member states, Luxembourg has the highest and Bulgaria has the lowest. Eurostat, based in Luxembourg, is the official statistical office of the European Communities and issues annual data on GDP in the Member States, as well as the European Union as a whole, which are regularly updated in order to maintain the fundamentals of European fiscal and economic policy.
Economy of the Member States of the European Union
Economic efficiency varies from state to state. The Stability and Growth Pact governs fiscal policy with the European Union. It applies to all member states, with specific rules that apply to members of the Eurozone, providing that deficit the budget of each state should not exceed 3% of GDP and the state duty should not exceed 60% of GDP. However, many major players are projecting their future budget with a deficit of well over 3%, and the Eurozone countries as a whole have duty, exceeding 60 % .The share of the European Union in the world's gross goods (GDP) is stable at about one-fifth. GDP growth, strong in the new member states, has now fallen due to sluggish growth in France, Italy and Portugal.
European Union (The European Union) is
Thirteen new member states from Central and Eastern Europe have a higher average height than their Western European counterparts. In particular, the Baltic countries have achieved rapid GDP growth, in Latvia it is up to 11%, which is at the level of the world leader China, whose average rate is 9% over the past 25 years. The reasons for this massive growth are the government's stable monetary policy, export-oriented policy, trade, low fixed tax rate, and the use of relatively cheap labor. Behind Last year(2008), Romania had the largest GDP growth among all EU states.
European Union (The European Union) is
The current map of GDP growth in the European Union is most contrasting across regions where strong economies are stagnating while growth is robust in new member states.
In general, the impact of the EU27 on the increase in the gross world goods declining due to the emergence of economic powers such as China, India and Brazil. In the medium to long term, the EU will look for ways to increase GDP growth in central European countries such as the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and Italy and stabilize growth in the new countries of Central and Eastern Europe to ensure sustainable economic prosperity.
European Union (The European Union) is
EU energy policy
The EU has large reserves of coal, black gold and natural gas. By data In 2010, the domestic gross energy consumption of the 28 participants amounted to 1.759 billion tons of oil equivalent. About 47.7% of the energy consumed was produced in the participating countries, while 52.3% was imported, while in the calculations nuclear energy is considered primary, despite the fact that only 3% of the uranium used is mined in the European Union. Degree of dependence of the union on imports black gold and oil products is 84.6%, natural gas- 64.3%. According to EIA forecasts (eng. USA energy Information Administration), own gas production in European countries will decrease by 0.9% per year, which by 2035 will amount to 60 billion m3. for gas will grow by 0.5% per year, the annual growth import gas to the countries of the European Union in the long term will be 1.6%. To reduce dependence on pipeline supplies natural gas a special role as a diversification tool is assigned to liquefied natural gas.
European Union (The European Union) is
Since its inception, the European Union has had legislative power in the field of energy policy; this has its roots in the European Coal and Steel Trust. The introduction of a mandatory and comprehensive energy policy was approved at the meeting of the European Council in October 2005, and the first draft of the new policy was published in January 2007. The main objectives of the common energy policy are: changing the structure of energy consumption in favor of renewable sources, increasing energy efficiency, reducing emissions greenhouse gases, the creation of a single energy market and the promotion of competition on it.
European Union (The European Union) is
There are six manufacturers in the EU countries black gold, mainly in the oil fields of the North Sea. The United Kingdom of Great Britain is by far the largest producer, however Denmark, the Republic of Germany, Italy, Romania and the Netherlands also produce . When viewed as a whole, which is not accepted in the oil markets, the EU is the 7th largest producer of black gold in the world, producing 3.424.000 (2001) barrels per day. However, it is also the 2nd largest purchaser of black gold, consuming far more than it can produce at 14.590.000 (2001) barrels in a day.
All countries of the European Union have pledged to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, and the European Union is one of its most active supporters. The European Commission has published suggestions on the first comprehensive energy policy of the European Union of January 10, 2007
Trade policy of the European Union
The European Union is the world's largest exporter () and the second largest importer. Internal trade between member states is facilitated by the removal of barriers such as tariffs and border the control. In the eurozone, trade is also helped by having a single currency among most members. The EU Association Agreement is doing something similar for a wider range of countries, partly as a so-called "carrot instead of stick" approach, to influence policy in those countries.
European Union (The European Union) is
The EU represents the interests of all its members within the framework of the World Trade Company, and acts on behalf of the member states in resolving any disputes.
European Union (The European Union) is
EU agriculture
The agricultural sector is supported by EU subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This currently amounts to 40% of the total costs of the European Union, which guarantees minimum prices for farmers in the European Union. This has been criticized as a form of protectionism, hindering trade and hurting developing countries. One of the most vocal opponents is England, the bloc's second largest economy, which has repeatedly refused to give the annual British price concession unless significant reforms are made to the ESP. France, the bloc's third largest economy, is the most ardent supporter of the CAP. The Common Agricultural Policy is the oldest of the programs of the European Economic Community, its cornerstone. The policy aims to increase agricultural productivity, ensure supply stability food products, ensuring a decent standard of living for the agricultural population, stabilizing markets, and ensuring reasonable prices for products. Until recently, it was carried out through subsidies and market intervention. In the 1970s and 1980s, about two thirds of the budget European Community, for 2007-2013 the share of this cost item decreased to 34%
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European Union Tourism
The EU is a major tourist destination, attracting visitors from outside the EU as well as citizens traveling within it. Domestic tourism is more convenient for citizens of some member states of the European Union, members of the Schengen Agreement and the Eurozone.
All citizens of the European Union have the right to travel to any member country, without the need for a visa. Looking at individual countries, France is the world leader in attracting foreign tourists, followed by Italy and the UK in 2nd, 5th and 6th respectively. If we consider the European Union as a whole, then the number of foreign tourists is less, since the majority of travelers are domestic tourists from other member countries.
European Union (The European Union) is
European Union Companies
The EU countries are home to many of the world's largest multinational companies, as well as home to their headquarters. Among them are also organizations that rank first in the world in their industry, such as Allianz, which is the world's largest supplier financial services; Airbus, which makes about half of the world's jet airliners; Air France-KLM, which is the world's largest airline in terms of total operating income; Amorim, leader in cork processing; ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel group "Danone", which ranks first in the dairy market; Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer producer; L "Oreal Group, a leading cosmetics manufacturer; LVMH, the largest manufacturer of luxury goods; Nokia, which is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones; Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world's largest energy corporations; and Stora Enso, which is the world's largest The European Union also has some of the largest companies in the financial sector, in particular Grupo Santander, the largest firms in terms of market capitalization.
European Union (The European Union) is
To date, one of the most widely used methods for measuring inequality income is the Gini coefficient. It is a measure of income inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. On this scale, 0 represents perfect equality for everyone having the same profit and 1 represents absolute inequality with one person, all income. According to the UN, the Gini coefficient varies across countries from 0.247 in Denmark to 0.743 in Namibia. Most post-industrial countries have a Gini coefficient ranging from 0.25 to 0.40.
Comparing the richest regions in the European Union can be a difficult task. This is because NUTS-1 and NUTS-2 regions are heterogeneous, some of them are very large, such as NUTS-1 Hesse (21100 km²), or NUTS-1 Ile-de-France (12011 km²), while while other NUTS regions are much smaller, such as NUTS-1 Hamburg (755 km²), or NUTS-1 Greater London (1580 km²). Extreme example - Finland, which is divided for historical reasons into the mainland with 5.3 million inhabitants and the Åland Islands with a population of 26,700, roughly equal to the population of a small Finnish city.
European Union (The European Union) is
One problem with this data is that in some areas, including Greater London, there is a large amount of Pendulum migration entering the region, thus artificially increasing the numbers. This entails an increase in GDP without changing the number of people living in the area, increasing GDP per capita. Similar problems can be caused by a large number of tourists visiting the area. This data is used to identify regions that are supported by organizations such as the European Regional Development Fund. It was decided to delimit the nomenclature of territorial units for the purposes of statistics(NUTS) regions, in an arbitrary manner (i.e. not based on objective criteria and not uniform for the whole of Europe), which was adopted at the pan-European level.
European Union (The European Union) is
The top 10 NUTS-1 and NUTS-2 regions with the highest GDP per capita are among the first fifteen countries in the bloc: and none of the 12 new member countries that joined in May 2004 and January 2007. NUTS provisions establish a minimum a population of 3 million, and a maximum size of 7 million for an average NUTS-1 region, and a minimum of 800,000 and a maximum of 3 million for a NUTS-2 region. This definition, however, is not recognized by Eurostat. For example, the Île-de-France region, with a population of 11.6 million, is considered a NUTS-2 region, while Bremen, with only 664,000 inhabitants, is considered a NUTS-1 region. Economically weak NUTS-2 regions.
The fifteen regions with the lowest ranking in 2004 were Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, with the lowest rates recorded in Nord-Est in Romania (25% of the average), followed by Severozapaden, Yuzhen central and Severen central in Bulgaria (all 25 -28%). Among the 68 regions below 75% of the average, fifteen were in Poland, seven each in Romania and the Czech Republic, six in Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary, five in Italy, four in France (all overseas departments) and Portugal, three in Slovakia, one in Spain and the rest in the countries of Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Organizational structure of the EU
The temple structure, as a way to visualize the existing specifics of the delimitation of competencies between the EU and the member states, appeared in the Maastricht Treaty, which established the EU. The temple structure is “supported” by three “pillars”: The first pillar of the “European Communities” combines the predecessors of the European Union: the European Community (formerly the European Economic Community) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). The third - the European Coal and Steel Association (ECSC) - ceased to exist in 2002 in accordance with the Paris Treaty that established it. The second pillar is called the "common foreign and security policy" (CFSP). The third pillar is "police and judicial cooperation in criminal cases."
With the help of "pillars" in the treaties, policy areas that fall within the competence of the European Union are delimited. In addition, the pillars provide a visual representation of the role of EU member state governments and EU institutions in the decision-making process. Within the framework of the first pillar, the role of the institutions of the European Union is decisive. Decisions here are made by the “community method”. The Community has jurisdiction over matters relating, inter alia, to the common market, the customs union, the single currency (with some of the members retaining their own currency), the common agricultural policy and the common fisheries policy, certain issues of migration and refugees, as well as the cohesion policy ). In the second and third pillars, the role of EU institutions is minimal and decisions are made by the EU member states.
This method of decision-making is called intergovernmental. As a result of the Nice Agreement (2001), some issues of migration and refugees, as well as issues of ensuring gender equality in the workplace, were transferred from the second to the first pillar. Consequently, on these issues, the role of the institutions of the European Union in relation to the member states of the European Union has increased. Today, membership in the European Union, the European Community and the Euratom is unified, all states that enter the union become members of the Communities. According to the Lisbon Treaty of 2007, this complex system will be abolished, a single status of the European Union as a subject of international law will be established.
European institutions of the EU
What follows is a description of the main bodies or institutions of the European Union. It must be borne in mind that the traditional division of states into legislative, executive and judicial bodies is not typical for the European Union. If the European Court of Justice can be safely considered a judicial body, then legislative functions belong simultaneously to EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, and executive - to the Commission and the Council.
The highest political body of the European Union, consisting of the heads of state and government of the member countries and their deputies - the ministers of foreign affairs. The President of the European Commission is also a member of the European Council. The creation of the European Council was based on the idea of French President Charles de Gaulle to hold informal summits of the leaders of the states of the European Union, which was intended to prevent the decline in the role of nation states within the framework of an integration entity. Informal summits have been held since 1961; in 1974, at the summit in Paris, this practice was formalized at the suggestion of Valerie Giscard d'Estaing, who at that time was the President of France.
The Council determines the main strategic directions for the development of the European Union. The development of a general line of political integration is the main mission of the European Council. Along with the Council of Ministers, the European Council has the political function of amending the fundamental treaties of European integration. It meets at least twice a year, either in Brussels or in the Presiding State, chaired by the representative of the Member State chairing the given time. The meetings last two days. Council decisions are binding on the states that support them. Within the framework of the European Council, the so-called “ceremonial” leadership is carried out, when the presence of politicians high level gives the decision taken both significance and high legitimacy. Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Agreement, that is, since December 2009, the European Council has officially entered the structure of the EU institutions. The terms of the agreement established new position President of the European Council, who takes part in all meetings of the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the European Union. The European Council should be distinguished from the Council of the EU and from the Council of Europe.
The Council of the European Union (officially the Council, usually informally referred to as the Council of Ministers) is, along with the European Parliament, one of the Union's two legislative bodies and one of its seven institutions. The Council consists of 28 ministers of the governments of the member countries in a composition that depends on the range of issues under discussion. At the same time, despite the different composition, the Council is considered a single body. In addition to legislative powers, the Council also has some executive functions in the area of common foreign and security policy.
The Council consists of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the European Union. However, the practice of convening the Council in the composition of other, sectoral ministers has been developed: economy and finance, justice and internal affairs, agriculture, etc. The decisions of the Council have the same force, regardless of the specific composition that made the decision. The presidency of the Council of Ministers is exercised by the member states of the European Union in the manner unanimously determined by the Council (usually rotation occurs on the basis of a large - small state - a new member, etc.). The rotation takes place every six months. In the early days of the European Community, most decisions of the Council required a unanimous decision. Gradually, the method of making decisions by a qualified majority of votes is gaining more and more use. At the same time, each state has a certain number of votes, depending on its population and economic potential.
Numerous working groups on specific issues operate under the auspices of the Council. Their task is to prepare decisions of the Council and to supervise the European Commission in case certain Council powers are delegated to it. Since the Paris Agreement, there has been a trend of selective delegation of powers from nation states (directly or through the Council of Ministers) to the European Commission. The signing of new "package" agreements added new competencies to the European Union, which entailed the delegation of large executive powers to the European Commission. However, the European Commission is not free to implement policy; in certain areas, national governments have tools to control its activities. Another trend is the strengthening of the role of the European Parliament. It should be noted that despite the evolution made by the European Parliament from a purely advisory body to an institution that has received the right to joint decision and even approval, the powers of the European Parliament are still very limited. Therefore, the balance of power in the system of EU institutions is still in favor of the Council of Ministers. Delegation of powers from the European Council is highly selective and does not jeopardize the significance of the Council of Ministers.
The European Commission is the highest executive body of the European Union. Consists of 27 members, one from each Member State. When exercising their powers, they are independent, act only in the interests of the European Union, and are not entitled to engage in any other activity. Member states have no right to influence the members of the European Commission. The European Commission is formed every 5 years as follows. The Council of the EU, at the level of Heads of State and/or Government, proposes the candidature of the President of the European Commission, which is approved by the European Parliament. Further, the Council of the EU, together with the candidate for the presidency of the Commission, form the proposed composition of the European Commission, taking into account the wishes of the member states. The composition of the "cabinet" must be approved by the European Parliament and finally approved by the Council of the EU. Each member of the Commission is responsible for a specific area of European Union policy and heads the relevant unit (the so-called General Directorate).
Commission plays leading role in ensuring the daily activities of the European Union aimed at the implementation of the fundamental Treaties. It comes up with legislative initiatives, and after approval controls their implementation. In case of violation of the legislation of the European Union, the Commission has the right to resort to sanctions, including appeal to the European Court of Justice. The Commission has significant autonomous rights in various policy areas, including agricultural, trade, competition, transport, regional, etc. The Commission has an executive apparatus, and also manages budget and various EU funds and programs (such as the Tacis programme). The main working languages of the Commission are English, French and German. The headquarters of the European Commission is located in Brussels.
European Union (The European Union) is
European Parliament EU
The European Parliament is an assembly of 732 deputies (as amended by the Nice Agreement) directly elected by the citizens of the Member States of the European Union for a term of five years. The President of the European Parliament is elected for two and a half years. Members of the European Parliament are united not on a national basis, but in accordance with their political orientation. The main role of the European Parliament is the approval of the EU budget. In addition, almost any decision of the Council of the EU requires either the approval of the Parliament, or at least a request for its opinion. Parliament controls work Commission and has the right to dissolve it (which, however, he never used). The approval of the Parliament is also required when accepting new members to the union, as well as when concluding agreements on associate membership and trade agreements with third countries.
The last elections to the European Parliament were held in 2009. The European Parliament holds plenary sessions in Strasbourg and Brussels. The European Parliament was established in 1957. Initially, members were appointed by the parliaments of the member states of the European Union. Since 1979 elected by the population. Parliamentary elections are held every 5 years. MEPs are divided into party factions, which represent international party trusts. Chairman - Buzek Jerzy. The European Parliament is one of the five governing bodies of the European Union. It directly represents the population of the European Union. Since the founding of Parliament in 1952, its powers have been continuously expanded, especially as a result of the Maastricht Accords in 1992 and, most recently, the Nice Agreement in 2001. However, the competence of the European Parliament is still narrower than that of the national legislatures of most states.
The European Parliament sits in Strasbourg, other places are Brussels and Luxembourg. On July 20, 2004, the European Parliament was elected to the sixth. At first, 732 parliamentarians sat in it, and after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU on January 15, 2007, there were 785 of them. The chairman of the second half-period is Hans Gert Pottering. Currently, 7 factions are represented in the parliament, as well as a number of non-partisan delegates. In their home states, parliamentarians are members of about 160 different parties that have coalesced into factions on the pan-European political arena. Starting from the seventh electoral period 2009-2014. The European Parliament must again consist of 736 delegates (according to art. 190 EC Treaty); The Treaty of Lisbon sets the number of parliamentarians at 750, including the chairman. Principles of the company and work authority are contained in the Regulations of the European Parliament.
History of the European Parliament
From 10 to 13 September 1952, the first meeting of the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Association) was held, consisting of 78 representatives who were chosen from among the national parliaments. This assembly had only recommendatory powers, but also had the right to dismiss the highest executive bodies ECSC. In 1957, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community were founded as a result of the signing of the Rome Agreement. The Parliamentary Assembly, which at that time consisted of 142 representatives, belonged to all these three communities. Despite the fact that the assembly did not receive any new powers, nevertheless, it began to call itself the European Parliament - a name that was recognized by independent states. When the European Union received its budget in 1971, the European Parliament began to participate in its planning - in all its aspects, except for planning the costs of the common agricultural policy, which, at that time, accounted for about 90% of the costs. This apparent senselessness of Parliament even led to the fact that in the 70s there was a joke: “Send your old grandfather to sit in the European Parliament” (“Hast du einen Opa, schick ihn nach Europa”).
Since the 1980s, the situation has gradually begun to change. The first direct parliamentary elections in 1976 were not yet associated with the expansion of its powers, but already in 1986, after the signing of the Single Pan-European Act, the parliament began to take part in the legislative process and could now officially make proposals to change bills, although the last word still remained for the European Council. This condition was abolished as a result of the next step to expand the competences of the European Parliament - the Maastricht Agreement of 1992, which equalized the rights of the European Parliament and the European Council. Although Parliament still could not put forward bills against the will of the European Council, this was a great achievement, since now no important decision could be made without the participation of Parliament. In addition, the parliament received the right to form the Investigative Committee, which significantly expanded its supervisory functions.
As a result of the reforms of Amsterdam 1997 and Nice 2001, parliament began to play a greater role in the political sphere of Europe. In some important areas, such as the common European agricultural policy, or the joint work of the police and the judiciary, the European Parliament still does not have full powers. However, together with the European Council, it has a strong position in legislation. The European Parliament has three main tasks: legislation, budgeting and the control European Commission . The European Parliament shares legislative functions with the EU Council, which also makes laws (directives, orders, decisions). Since the signing of the agreement in Nice, in most political areas, the so-called principle of joint decisions (art. 251 of the EU-Treaty) has been in force, according to which the European Parliament and the Council of Europe have equal powers, and each bill submitted by the Commission must be considered in 2x readings. Disagreements must be resolved during the 3rd reading.
In general, this system resembles the division of legislative power in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) between the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. However, the European Parliament, unlike the Bundestag, does not have the right to initiate, in other words, it cannot introduce its own bills. Only the European Commission has this right in the pan-European political arena. The European Union and the Lisbon Treaty do not provide for the expansion of initiative powers for Parliament, although the Lisbon Treaty still allows, in exceptional cases, a situation where a group of member countries of the European Union submits bills.
In addition to the system of mutual lawmaking, there are also two more forms of legal regulation (agrarian policy and anti-monopoly), where the parliament has less voting rights. This circumstance, after the agreement in Nice, extends only to one political sphere, and after the Lisbon agreement, it should disappear altogether.
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU jointly form the Budget Commission, which forms the budget of the European Union (for example, in 2006 it amounted to about € 113 billion).
European Union (The European Union) is
Significant restrictions on budgetary policy are imposed by the so-called "Compulsory expenditures" (that is, expenditures associated with a joint agricultural policy), which amount to almost 40% of the total European budget. The powers of the Parliament in the direction of "Compulsory Costs" are severely limited. The Lisbon Treaty should abolish difference between “Mandatory” and “non-mandatory” spending and give the European Parliament the same budgetary rights as the EU Council
Parliament also oversees the activities of the European Commission. The Plenum of the Parliament must approve the composition of the Commission. Parliament has the right to accept or reject the Commission only in its entirety, and not its individual members. The Parliament does not appoint the Chairman of the Commission (in contrast to the rules in force in most national parliaments of the member countries of the European Union), he can only accept or reject a candidate proposed by the Council of Europe. In addition, the Parliament may, through a 2/3 majority, move a vote of no confidence in the Commission than cause its resignation.
European Union (The European Union) is
This right was exercised by the European Parliament, for example, in 2004, when the Commission of Free Cities spoke out against the contested candidacy of Rocco Butiglione for the post of Justice Commissioner. Then the Social Democratic, Liberal and Green factions threatened to dissolve the Commission, after which Franco Frattini was appointed instead of Butglione as Commissioner of Justice. The Parliament can also exercise control over the Council of Europe and the European Commission by establishing a committee of inquiry. This right especially affects those areas of politics where the executive functions of these institutions are great, and where the legislative powers of the Parliament are significantly limited.
Court of Justice of the European Union
The European Court of Justice (officially called the Court of the European Communities) meets in Luxembourg and is the highest judicial body of the European Union. The Court regulates disputes between member states; between member states and the European Union itself; between the institutions of the European Union; between the European Union and individuals or legal entities. individuals, including members of its organs (the Civil Service Tribunal was recently created for this function). The Court gives opinions on international agreements; it also issues preliminary (prejudicial) rulings on requests from national courts for the interpretation of the founding treaties and regulations (NLAs) of the European Union. Decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union are binding on the territory of the European Union. As a general rule, the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice extends to the areas of competence of the European Union.
In accordance with the Maastricht Treaty, the Court is granted the right to impose fines on Member States that do not comply with its rulings. The Court consists of 27 judges (one from each of the Member States) and eight Advocates General. They are appointed for a six-year term, renewable. Half of the judges are renewed every three years.
The Court played a huge role in the formation and development of European Union law. Many, even fundamental principles The union's legal order is based not on international treaties, but on the precedent decisions of the Court.
The Court of Justice of the European Union should be distinguished from the European Court of Human Rights.
European Union (The European Union) is
European Union Chamber of Auditors
The Court of Auditors was established in 1975 to audit the budget of the European Union and its institutions. Compound. The Chamber is composed of representatives of the member states (one from each member state). They are appointed by the Council by unanimous decision for a term of six years and are completely independent in the performance of their duties. Functions: 1. reviews the benefit and cost reports of the European Union and all its institutions and bodies that have access to EU funds; 2. monitors the quality of financial management; 3. draw up a report on its work after the end of each budgetary year, as well as submit to the European Parliament and the Council conclusions or comments on individual issues; 5. helps the European Parliament to control the implementation of the budget of the European Union. Headquarters - Luxembourg.
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank was formed in 1998 from the banks of 11 countries of the European Union that are members of the euro area (the Federal Republic of Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg). Greece, which adopted the euro on January 1, 2001, became the twelfth country in the euro area. The European Central Bank (Eng. EuropeanCentralBank) - central bank European Union and euro area. Formed on June 1, 1998. The headquarters is located in the German city of Frankfurt am Main. It includes representatives of all EU member states. Bank completely independent of the rest of the bodies of the European Union.
Main Functions jar: development and implementation of the monetary policy of the euro area; maintenance and management of the official exchange reserves of the countries of the euro area; the issuance of euro banknotes; setting basic interest rates.; maintaining price stability in the euro area, that is, ensuring the level inflation not higher than 2%. European CB is the "heir" of the European Monetary Institute (EMI), which played a leading role in preparing for the introduction of the euro in 1999. The European system of central banks consists of ECB and national central banks: National Bank of Belgium (Banque Nationale de Belgique), Governor Guy Quaden; Bundesbank, manager Axel A. Weber; Bank of Greece, manager Nicolas C. Garganas; Bank of Spain, Governor Miguel Fernández Ordóñez; Bank of France (Banque de France), Governor Christian Noyer; Monetary Institute of Luxembourg.
European Union (The European Union) is
All key issues related to the activities of the Central Bank of Europe, such as the discount rate, accounting for bills and others, are decided by the directorate and the board of governors of the bank. The directorate consists of six people, including the Chairman of the ECB and the Deputy Chairman of the ECB. Nominations are proposed by the Governing Council, approved by the European Parliament and the heads of state of the euro area.
The Board of Governors is composed of members of the Directorate of the ECB and governors of the national central banks. Traditionally, four out of six seats are occupied by representatives of the four major central banks: France, the Republic of Germany, Italy and Spain. Only members of the Board of Governors who are present in person or take part in a teleconference have the right to vote. A member of the Board of Governors may appoint a replacement if he is unable to attend meetings for an extended period of time.
The voting requires the presence of 2/3 of the members of the Council, however, an emergency meeting of the ECB may be convened, for which there is no set threshold for attendance. Decisions are taken by a simple majority, in case of equality of votes, the vote of the Chairman has more weight. Solutions for questions capital ECB, distribution of profits, etc. are also decided by voting, the weight of votes is proportional to the shares of national banks in authorized capital ECB. In accordance with Art. 8 of the Agreement establishing the European Community, the European System of Central Banks was founded - a supranational financial regulatory body that brings together the European Central Bank (ECB) and the national central banks of all 27 member countries of the European Union. The administration of the ESCB is carried out by the governing bodies of the ECB.
Created in accordance with the Treaty, on the basis of capital provided by member countries. The EIB is endowed with the functions of a private bank, operates on international financial markets, provides loans to government agencies of member countries.
EU Economic and Social Committee and other units
Economic and social committee(Economic and Social Committee) is an advisory body of the European Union. Formed in accordance with the Treaty of Rome. Compound. Consists of 344 members, called councillors.
Functions. He advises the Council and the Commission on the socio-economic policy of the European Union. Is various areas economy and social groups (employers, employees and free professions employed in industry, agriculture, the service sector, as well as representatives of public organizations).
Members of the Committee are appointed by the Council by unanimous decision for a period of 4 years. The Committee elects a Chairman from among its members for a term of 2 years. After the admission of new states to the European Union, the membership of the Committee will not exceed 350 people.
Location of the meetings. The Committee meets once a month in Brussels.
The Committee of the Regions is an advisory body that ensures the representation of regional and local administrations in the work of the European Union. The Committee was established in accordance with the Maastricht Treaty and has been operating since March 1994. It consists of 344 members representing regional and local authorities, but completely independent in the performance of their duties. The number of members per country is the same as in the Economic and Social Committee. Candidates are approved by the Council by unanimous decision on the proposals of the Member States for a period of 4 years. The Committee elects a Chairman and other officers from among its members for a period of 2 years.
Functions. Advise the Council and the Commission and give opinions on all issues affecting the interests of the regions. Venue of the sessions. Plenary sessions are held in Brussels 5 times a year. Also institutions of the European Union are the Institute of the European Ombudsman, which deals with complaints from citizens regarding the poor management of any institution or body of the European Union. The decisions of this body are not binding, but have significant social and political impact. As well as 15 specialized agencies and bodies, the European monitoring center against racism and xenophobia, Europol, Eurojust.
European Union (The European Union) is
European Union law
A feature of the European Union, which distinguishes it from other international organizations, is the existence of its own law, which directly regulates relations not only between member states, but also between their citizens and legal persons. Law The European Union consists of the so-called primary, secondary and tertiary (judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Communities). Primary law - the founding treaties of the European Union; agreements amending them (revision agreements); accession treaties for new member states. Secondary law - acts issued by the bodies of the European Union. Decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union and other judicial bodies of the Union are widely used as case law.
European Union (The European Union) is
The right of the European Union has direct effect on the territory of the countries of the European Union and priority in relation to the national legislation of the states.
Law The European Union is divided into institutional law (the rules governing the creation and functioning of institutions and bodies of the European Union) and substantive law (the rules governing the process of implementing the goals of the European Union and the EU communities). Substantive law The European Union, as well as the law of individual countries, can be divided into industries: customs law of the European Union, environmental law of the European Union, transport law of the European Union, tax law of the European Union, etc. Taking into account the structure of the European Union (“three pillars”), the European Union law is also subdivided into the law of the European Communities, Schengen law, etc. The main achievement of law The European Union can be considered an institution of four freedoms: freedom of movement of persons, freedom of movement of capital, freedom of movement of goods and freedom to provide services in these countries.
European Union (The European Union) is
EU languages
23 languages are officially used equally in European institutions: English, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Greek, Danish, Irish, Spanish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, German, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, French, Czech , Swedish, Estonian. At the working level, English and French are usually used.
The official languages of the European Union are the languages that are official in the activities of the European Union (the European Union). All decisions taken by the official bodies of the European Union are translated into all official languages, and citizens of the European Union have the right to apply to the bodies of the European Union and receive a response to their requests in any of the official languages.
European Union (The European Union) is
Measures are being taken at high-level events to prioritize the translation of participants' speeches into all official languages (as required). Simultaneous translation into all official languages, in particular, is always carried out at the sessions of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. events) are used mainly in English, French and, to a lesser extent, German (the Commission's three working languages), with other languages being used as appropriate. In connection with the expansion of the European Union and the entry into it of countries where French is less common, the positions of English and German have strengthened. In any case, all final normative documents are translated into other official languages.
In 2005, about 800 million euros were spent to pay for the work of translators. Back in 2004, this amount was 540 million euros. The EU encourages the spread of multilingualism among the inhabitants of the participating countries. This is done not only to ensure mutual understanding, but also to develop a tolerant and respectful attitude towards linguistic and cultural diversity in the European Union. Among the measures to promote multilingualism, the annual European Day of Languages, available language classes, promoting the study of more than one foreign language and language learning in adulthood.
European Union (The European Union) is
Russian is the native language of more than 1.3 million people in the Baltic countries, as well as a small part of the population of the Federal Republic of Germany. The older generation of the population of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania mostly understands Russian and speaks it, since in the USSR it was compulsory for studying at schools and universities. Also, Russian is understood by many older people in Eastern European countries, where it is not native to the population.
European Union debt and measures to overcome it
European or a crisis sovereign debt in a number of European countries - debt crisis, covering in 2010 first peripheral countries Euro Union (Greece, Ireland), and then covering almost the entire euro area. The source of the crisis is called the crisis of the government bond market in Greece in the fall of 2009. For some countries in the Eurozone, it has become difficult or impossible to invest in government debt without the help of intermediaries.
Since the end of 2009, due to the growth of public and private sector debt around the world and the simultaneous downgrade of the credit ratings of several countries in the European Union, investors have become wary of the development debt crisis. In different countries, various reasons led to the development of the debt crisis: somewhere the crisis was caused by the provision of emergency government assistance to companies in the banking sector that were on the verge of bankruptcy due to the growth of speculative bubbles, or government attempts to carry out after speculative bubbles burst. In Greece, the increase in public debt was driven by wastefully high wages for civil servants and large pension payments for 347 days. The structure of the Eurozone (currency, not fiscal union) also contributed to the development of the crisis, which also had a negative impact on the ability of the leadership of European countries to respond to the development of the crisis: the member countries of the Eurozone have a single currency, but there is no single tax and pension legislation.
It is noteworthy that due to the fact that European banks own a significant share of state. bonds of countries, doubts about the solvency of individual countries lead to doubts about the solvency of their banking sector and vice versa. Since 2010, fears investors began to intensify. On May 9, 2010, the finance ministers of the leading European countries responded to the change in the investment environment by creating the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) with resources of 750 billion euros to ensure financial stability in Europe through the implementation of a number of anti-crisis measures. In October 2011 and February 2012, the leaders of the Eurozone agreed on measures to prevent economic collapse, including an agreement to write off 53.5% of the debt obligations of the Greek government owned by private creditors by banks, an increase in the volume of the European Financial Stability Facility to about € 1 trillion, as well as an increase in the level capitalization European banks up to 9%.
European Union (The European Union) is
Also, in order to increase confidence investors representatives of the leading countries of the European Union concluded an agreement on fiscal stability (en: European Fiscal Compact), under which the government of each country assumed obligations to contribute to constitution amendments on the obligation of a balanced budget. While the volumes money issue loan bonds increased significantly in only a few countries of the Eurozone, the growth of public debt began to be perceived as a common problem for all countries of the European Union as a whole. However, the EU currency remains stable. The three countries most affected by the crisis (Greece, Ireland and Portugal) account for 6 percent gross domestic product (GDP) of the Eurozone. In June 2012, Spain came to the fore among the economic problems of the Eurozone. This led to a sharp increase in the rate of return federal loan bonds Spain and significantly limited the country's access to capital markets, which led to the need to provide financial assistance to Spanish banks and a number of other measures.
European Union (The European Union) is
The structure of the Eurozone (currency, not fiscal union) also contributed to the development of the crisis, which also had a negative impact on the ability of the leadership of European countries to respond to the development of the crisis: the member countries of the Eurozone have a single currency, but there is no single tax and pension legislation. It is noteworthy that due to the fact that European banks own a significant share of government bonds of countries, doubts about the solvency of individual countries lead to doubts about the solvency of their banking sector and vice versa. Starting in 2010, investors' fears began to intensify.
On May 9, 2010, the finance ministers of the leading European countries responded to the change in the investment environment by creating the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) with resources of 750 billion euros to ensure financial stability in Europe through the implementation of a number of anti-crisis measures. In October 2011 and February 2012, the leaders of the Eurozone agreed on measures to prevent economic collapse, including an agreement to write off 53.5% of the debt obligations of the Greek government owned by private creditors by banks, an increase in the volume of the European Financial Stability Facility to about € 1 trillion, as well as an increase in the level capitalization European banks up to 9%. Also, in order to increase investor confidence, representatives of the leading countries of the European Union concluded an agreement on fiscal stability (en: European Fiscal Compact), under which the government of each country assumed obligations to amend the Constitution on the obligation of a balanced budget.
While volumes issue of securities state bonds increased significantly in only a few countries of the Eurozone, the growth of public debt began to be perceived as a common problem for all countries of the European Union as a whole. However, the single euro currency remains stable. The three countries most affected by the crisis (Greece, Ireland and Portugal) account for 6 percent gross domestic product (GDP) of the Eurozone. In June 2012, the Spanish debt crisis came to the fore among the economic problems of the Eurozone. This led to a sharp increase in the rate of return on Spanish bonds and significantly limited the country's access to capital markets, which led to the need for financial assistance to Spanish banks and a number of other measures.
- economic association of 25 European countries. A single internal market has been created in the EU, restrictions on the free movement of goods, capital, and labor between countries have been lifted, a single currency system has been formed with a single governing monetary ... ... Financial vocabularyEUROPEAN UNION- (EU) an interstate association that combines the features of an international organization and a federal state; arose in 1993 on the basis of the European Communities. EU Treaty, signed in 1992 in Maastricht (Netherlands) by heads of state and … Law Dictionary
European Union (EU)- English European union European states, within which customs, tax and other barriers to the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor have been removed. At the end of the 90s, the final stage of formation began ... ... Dictionary of business terms - formed in 1993 in accordance with the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 on the basis of the European Communities, which united 12 countries: Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, France. In 1994… … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (European Union) was formed in 1993 in accordance with the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. It included member countries of the European Economic Community, in 1994 Austria, Norway, Finland and Sweden joined them, in 1999 Hungary, ... ... The World History
EUROPEAN UNION EU- EUROPEAN UNION, EU (EU) integration grouping, a unique supranational formation consisting of 25 European states that signed the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty). The European Union is not an international... Legal Encyclopedia, This publication provides a complete translation into Russian of the fundamental acts of the European Union in latest edition arising from the Treaty of Lisbon ("Reform Treaty" of the EU) of… , We are using cookies for the best presentation of our site. Continuing to use this site, you agree with this. OK
The Second World War accelerated European integration, the very idea of which arose much earlier. The need to restore the economy destroyed by the war, the desire to strengthen peace and fears about the revival of nationalism led to a convergence of the positions of the leading countries of Europe.
The struggle between the two fundamental approaches to European integration - federalist and confederal - was going on constantly. The first option called for full integration, namely the building of a supranational European federation, roughly the United States of Europe. It was even supposed to introduce a single citizenship. In the second option, the sovereignty of the participating countries was preserved, and integration was limited, based on the principles of interstate consent.
The beginning of the process of European integration is considered to be the declaration of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Robert Schuman, dated May 9, 1950, which contained a formal proposal to establish the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). On April 18, 1951, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy signed the treaty establishing this community.
The integration of this most important sector of the economy at that time opened the way for the integration of other sectors of the economy, as a result of which, on March 25, 1957, the ECSC members signed the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).
Several stages of the formation of the European Economic Community took decades. In 1957-1968. a free trade zone is created and customs duties, quotas and other restrictions on trade between the EEC member states are abolished. At the same time, their autonomy in customs and trade policy in relation to third countries is preserved. For 1968-1987 had to create a customs union. A common customs tariff was introduced and a common trade policy for third countries was created.
Creation of a single internal market in 1987-1992. allowed to achieve the free movement of services, capital and labor. In 1992-2002 The Economic and Monetary Union was created, providing for the replacement of national currencies with a single euro currency and the introduction of a single currency and monetary policy in the EU countries.
According to the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on December 1, 2009, the EU acquired legal personality. This gives him the right to act as a plenipotentiary party to international treaties in any areas of his competence.
European Commission
It is the highest executive body of the European Union, consisting of 27 members, one delegated from each member state. When exercising their powers, they are independent, act only in the interests of the EU, and are not entitled to engage in any other activity. Member States have no right to influence members of the European Commission.
The European Commission is responsible for the day-to-day running of the EU and is responsible for the implementation of the fundamental EU treaties. The EC has the right to take legislative initiatives and supervise their implementation after the necessary approval procedure.
The competence of the Council covers issues of joint foreign policy, as well as security policy and cooperation on internal issues of the EU. The Council of the EU is included in the Corps
legislative institutions of the European Union. Although a number of legal acts, as well as the budget of the European Union, are adopted by a joint decision of the Council and the European Parliament, any legal act of the European Union must necessarily receive the approval of the Council.
The Council is composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the European Union. But at the same time, the Council has repeatedly been convened from sectoral ministers, such as the ministers of justice, economy, finance, agriculture, etc. At the same time, regardless of the composition of the decision, it will have the same force as the decision of the Council of the EU.
European Parliament
The 732 members of the European Parliament are directly elected for a term of five years by the citizens of the EU member states. At the same time, the President of the European Parliament is elected for a term half as long - for two and a half years. The European Parliament has adopted a practice according to which members of parliament are united not on a national basis, but in accordance with their political convictions.
The European Parliament approves the EU budget and must consider any decision of the EU Council, since either the approval of the Parliament or a request for its opinion is required. Also, Parliament must supervise the work of the Commission, and if necessary, it has the power to dissolve it.
Without the approval of the Parliament, it is impossible to admit new members to the Union. Its decision is also required when concluding agreements on associate membership and in order to reach trade agreements with third countries.
general information
23 languages are officially and equally used in European institutions: English, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Greek, Danish, Irish, Spanish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, German, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, French, Czech, Swedish, Estonian.Currently, there are three agreements that involve different degrees of integration within the European Union: EU membership, membership in the euro area and participation in the Schengen agreement. EU membership does not necessarily entail participation in the Schengen Agreement. Not all EU member states are members of the euro area.
The UK and Ireland signed the Schengen Agreement on a limited membership basis. The UK also did not consider it necessary to join the euro zone. Denmark and Sweden also decided in referendums to keep their national currencies.
Economy of the European Union, filed by the IMF. produces a GDP of over $18,394 trillion (2008). The EU economy is a single market and is included in the WTO as a single organization.
The official anthem of the EU was approved in 1992. This is the finale of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, composed by the composer in 1824. The anthem contains the words of Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy" with the legendary call - "Unite millions!".
Numbers
Area: 4,324,782 km2.Population: 501,259,840 (2010 estimate).
Number of members: 28.
Gross domestic product per capita:$36,812 (2008).
MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (EUROPEAN UNION, EU)
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
United Kingdom
Hungary
Germany
Greece
Denmark
Ireland
Spain
Italy
Cyprus
Luxembourg
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Netherlands
Portugal
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Finland
France
Croatia
Czech Republic
Sweden
Estonia
CHRONOLOGY OF THE EUROPEAN BEGINNING
1951: Establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) under the Treaty of Paris (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, West Germany (FRG) and Italy); 1957: Treaties are signed in Rome and the European Economic Community (EEC, Common Market) (EEC - European Economic Community) and the European Atomic Energy Community - Euratom are established;
1965: merger agreement, which resulted in the creation of a single Council and a single Commission for the three European Communities - ECSC, EEC and Euratom;
1973: Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark join the EEC;
1978: The EEC introduces the European currency unit, the ECU;
1979: First direct elections to the European Parliament are held; 1981: Greece joins the EEC;
1985: signing of the Schengen agreement;
1986: Spain and Portugal become members of the EEC;
1992: Treaty establishing the European Union (Maastricht Treaty), entered into force in 1993;
1995: Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the European Union;
1999: a common currency (euro) was introduced (in cash circulation since 2002);
2004: accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta;
2004: signing of the EU Constitution (did not enter into force);
2007: signing of the Reform Treaty in Lisbon;
2007: Bulgaria and Romania join the EU. 50th anniversary celebrated;
2009: November 19 - election of the permanent President of the European Council;
2009: December 1 - Lisbon Treaty enters into force, making the European Union a legal entity.
Curious facts
The flag of the European Union is a rectangular blue panel with an aspect ratio of 2:3, in the center of which are 12 gold five-pointed stars arranged in a circle. This flag was created for the Council of Europe, an organization that appeared in 1949 to protect democracy and human rights in the post-war Old World. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on October 25, 1955 unanimously approved a circle of 12 stars on a blue background as its symbol. From the very beginning, PACE called on all European organizations to adopt this symbol as an official one in order to strengthen the idea of solidarity among all institutions of democratic Europe.In 1985, the EU member states adopted it as the flag of the European Community (EC), and since 1986 it has been used by all institutions of the European Union.
The official explanation of the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of December 9, 1955 on the adoption of the flag says the following: “Against the blue sky of the Western world, the stars symbolize the peoples of Europe in a circle, a sign of unity. The number of stars is unchanged, determined to be twelve. This number symbolizes perfection and completeness. Just as the twelve signs of the zodiac represent the entire universe, so the twelve golden stars stand for all the peoples of Europe and for those who cannot yet participate in building Europe in unity and peace.”
The artist who designed the flag of the Council of Europe, Arsene Heitz, said that he was inspired by the Revelation of St. John the Theologian: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun; under her feet is the moon and on her head is a crown of twelve stars. Interestingly, the flag was approved on December 8, 1955, which coincided with the Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1956, the Council of Europe appointed the place of its permanent residence, in the cathedral of which there is
EUROPEAN UNION (EU), the largest integration association of European states. The EU includes 27 states (as of 1.1.2007), including those with overseas territories located in other parts of the world. The area of the EU is 4 million 317 thousand km 2 , the population is 492.8 million people.
The Treaty Establishing the European Union was signed in Maastricht (1992; see Maastricht Treaty). According to the agreement, the EU was established on the basis of the European Communities (two of them operate within the EU, forming the first pillar), supplemented by a common foreign and security policy (second pillar) and cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs (third pillar). This structure was called the “three pillar system”. The Amsterdam Treaty (1997) secured the creation of a space of freedom, democracy and the rule of law; formed a specialized mechanism for the protection of democratic foundations and principles, providing for the possibility of imposing sanctions on the state that violates them; proposed measures for the preparation of the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms (proclaimed in 2000). In 2001, the Treaty of Nice was signed to strengthen guarantees and prevent risks associated with a new major expansion of the EU, which consolidated the revised concept of "advanced cooperation", introduced new guarantees against a possible violation of the democratic foundations and principles of the EU, revised the procedure for the functioning of its judicial systems. On October 29, 2004, the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe was signed. In accordance with the accepted procedure, the Treaty and the documents annexed to it were submitted for ratification by the EU member states (the Treaty was ratified by 15 states, but in France and the Netherlands the draft EU Constitution did not receive support and the ratification process was interrupted).
Objectives and principles of the EU. The Union is based on the principles of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as the rule of law, principles common to member states (Article 6.1 of the Treaty). They are implemented within a society characterized by pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, solidarity and equality between women and men. All Member States are obliged not only to declare their commitment to these values, but also to ensure their effective implementation. Deviation from compliance with these principles and principles may entail the adoption of preventive measures by the EU or, in the presence of a constant and serious threat, the imposition of sanctions by suspending the right to participate in the work of EU bodies or even membership in the EU.
On the basis of common values, goals and principles, the specific tasks facing the integration education are formulated. In area domestic policy The tasks to be solved by the Communities and the Union include: building a common and single internal market, creating an economic and monetary union, implementing a policy of economic and social cohesion, promoting research in the scientific field and technological progress, ensuring and protecting consumer rights, taking radical measures to environmental protection. AT social sphere the promotion of employment, the growth of well-being and quality of life, the achievement of a high level of health care, education and vocational training, strengthening social protection and combating social exclusion. The participation of integration associations in the development and upsurge of culture is subordinated to the observance of national individuality, originality and originality of national cultures. With the creation of the EU, a number of new tasks are formulated within the framework of the second and third pillars. Measures are being taken to intensify the EU's participation in solving humanitarian problems and in the implementation of collective peacekeeping measures. In order to develop a common defense policy, the creation of a European military planning group and the formation of the EU collective armed forces are envisaged. Specialized apparatus in the field of planning joint operations outside the EU, it is created and operates under the leadership of the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The formation of new specialized structures and the development of cooperation programs should contribute to the expansion of cooperation between the police and courts in the criminal law sphere. Europol and Eurojust were established (dealing mainly with the problems of judicial and prosecutorial cooperation), a European agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders of the EU was created, a fundamental decision was made to establish a European prosecutor's office, and measures were developed to put into effect a single European arrest warrant. A number of specialized bodies have been established to help intensify the fight against organized crime and terrorism. The communitarianization of the Schengen Agreements (i.e. their integration into the Community law system) has been carried out: the Schengen Agreements developed within the framework of the concept of advanced cooperation are designed to regulate the implementation of visa and migration policies, as well as the granting of asylum (some non-EU member states have joined the Schengen Area - Norway and Iceland, the decision to join the Schengen area was approved in a referendum in Switzerland). In order to further refine the visa policy and ensure the security of the EU borders, 7 states signed new agreements, called Schengenplus (2007).
The EU is the most developed form of economic integration in Europe, which has gone through all stages of development - a free trade area, a customs union, a single internal market, an economic and monetary union. Since 1968, customs duties in mutual trade have been completely abolished in the European Community, and a single customs tariff has been introduced in relation to third countries. In 1993, a single internal market was finally formed, which is an economic space without internal borders, within which the free movement of goods, labor, services and capital is ensured. The Economic and Monetary Union began to function on January 1, 1999 and provided for the introduction of a common currency, the euro. European economic integration develops in two directions: the ever more complete unification of national economies into a single regional economic system and the territorial expansion of the integration zone.
One of the tasks of the EU is to ensure the harmonization of national legislation on the basis of the goals and principles of the EU. The conditions and procedure for such harmonization are regulated directly by the founding agreements. Each of them contains a clause of solidarity, requiring conscientious and loyal fulfillment of the obligations assumed by the participants in the integration, imposed by the constituent acts and norms of secondary law.
EU institutions. The powers transferred to the jurisdiction of integration entities are exercised by a wide system of bodies, specialized organizations (agencies) and institutions. The main institutions are the EU bodies, endowed with the right to issue binding regulatory legal acts. A system of institutions was originally established in each of the three Communities. At the initial stage (1957), a common Parliament and Court were created within the European integration organizations; In 1965, the Unification Treaty was signed, on the basis of which a Council and a Commission uniform for all Communities were established. The Treaty establishing the EU provided for the creation of a single system of institutions for the Communities and the Union. Modern system institutions enshrined in the Nice Treaty.
The highest body of political leadership is the European Council. The EU institutions include: the Council of the EU, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EU judiciary and the Court of Accounts. Among the most important bodies of the EU, the status of which is determined directly in the constituent acts, are the bodies European system central banks (ESCB) and the European Central Bank (ECB); The Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) and the leading advisory bodies are the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The status of numerous auxiliary and advisory committees is determined by special regulations governing the creation and functioning of the bodies included in the comitology system. During the functioning of the EU, numerous specialized organizations and institutions were established, which are entrusted with the implementation of administrative and coordinating functions in specific and relatively narrow areas. Some of them play a very significant role, such as Europol, Eurojust, etc.
The activities of EU institutions and bodies are subject to the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. The principle of subsidiarity, applied outside the exclusive competence of the EU, implies that a decision or action is carried out at the level of the EU or Member States or even their regions, depending on where their implementation will be most effective. The principle of proportionality implies that the EU institutions will strictly adhere to the rules of empowerment and will not go beyond the limits of those rights and powers that have been transferred by the Member States to the jurisdiction of the European Communities and the EU.
European Union and European Communities. The EU and the European Communities are formed on the basis of the international treaties that established them. However, they differ in their nature and nature from ordinary international organizations. The main thing in the activity of the EU and the Communities is the solution of problems and tasks of domestic policy. The powers of the EU in the field of external relations are exercised on the basis of rules that differ markedly from those applied within the Communities.
The European Communities enjoy the status legal entity. On the territory of the EU Member States, they exercise their respective rights to the fullest extent possible. Communities also have international legal personality (they can enter into relations with third states and international organizations, conclude international treaties and agreements, and also have their own diplomatic missions in foreign countries). The EU does not have the status of a legal entity. However, the presence of a unified system of institutions of the EU and the Communities makes it possible in practice to carry out international relations and make decisions on external political issues both on behalf of the EU and the Communities (accordingly, new states joining the EU become members not only of the EU, but also of the Communities).
The EU has its own territory, derived from the territories of the member states. The EU introduced its own citizenship. It is acquired by all individuals who have national citizenship of the EU Member States. The acquisition of EU citizenship gives rise to a number of political and legal consequences: the use of the right to vote in the formation of the European Parliament and in the formation of national municipal bodies, the right to access positions in the EU apparatus, the right to diplomatic protection from EU missions abroad, etc. The EU has introduced its own currency: The monetary unit of the EU is the euro. To join the euro area, a number of strict legal requirements must be met. This led to the fact that even at the time of the creation of the Eurogroup, when the EU had 15 member states, only 12 joined it. Accession to the EU does not entail automatic inclusion in the euro area. Of the newly admitted states, only Slovenia (2007) joined the euro area.
Conditions and procedure for the admission of new members to the EU. Over the years that have passed since the formation of European integration entities, their composition has undergone significant changes. The 6 founding states (France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) were joined by: in 1973 - Great Britain, Denmark and Ireland, in 1981 - Greece, in 1986 - Spain and Portugal; since 1995 - Austria, Finland and Sweden; since 2004 - Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Cyprus; since 2007 - Bulgaria and Romania. Applicants for membership are Turkey and some Balkan countries.
The conditions for accession to the EU are defined in the founding treaties, in subsequent regulations and political decisions made at the level of the European Council (the "Copenhagen Criteria"). Only European states can be members of the EU. They must fully share the values, goals and principles of the EU. Candidate countries must have free market economies and abide by the rules and principles of fair competition. They are obliged to bring their legal system into conformity with the regulations and prescriptions European law(acquis communautaire - legal property of the Communities).
The state applying for accession to the EU sends an appeal to the Council of the EU, which, acting on the recommendation of the European Commission, decides to open negotiations. Negotiations are entrusted to the European Commission. Candidate countries receive appropriate financial grants and technical support. Their representatives participate in the work of EU bodies on a consultative basis.
The admission process ends with the signing of the Accession Agreement and the EU Accession Act. Upon completion of the review at the level of the EU institutions, the decision is submitted to the discretion of the EU Member States. Ratification must take place not only in all Member States, but also in candidate States. All accession acts contain numerous qualifications and time limits, especially with regard to the exercise of the four freedoms associated with participation in the common market.
The current constituent acts do not contain regulations regulating the procedure for a possible exit from the EU.
Corresponding regulations were developed and included in the draft EU Constitution (provide for the possibility of a member state's withdrawal subject to advance notice and the fulfillment of certain obligations associated with EU membership). EU accession states do not automatically become parties to agreements based on the concept of advanced cooperation.
The EU and the Russian Federation are strategic partners, they signed a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (1994, entered into force on December 1, 1997), based on "the embodiment of common values that underlie bilateral cooperation." Relations between the EU and the Russian Federation are developing within the framework of the strategy for the development of relations for the medium term (2000-10), which involves "building a united Europe without dividing lines." There is a representation of the EC in the Russian Federation, and a permanent representation of the Russian Federation in the EU.
Lit.: Topornin BN European communities: law and institutions. M., 1992; European Union Law / Edited by S. Yu. Kashkin et al. M., 2002; Russia and the European Union. M., 2003.
The European Union (EU) is an economic and political association that consists of 28 European countries. The EU includes a population of 508 million. people, 24 official and working languages and about 150 regional languages.
The origins of the European Union stem from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), formed in 1951 by six countries - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. These countries banded together to end the wars that ravaged the European continent and agreed to control the natural resources of war-mongering interest (coal and steel).
The founders of the ECSC came to the common opinion that this European project will be developed not only in order to unite shared resources but also to prevent various conflicts in the region. Thus, in 1957, on the basis of the Treaty of Rome, the European Economic Community (EEC) was formed, which brought together political and economic relations six founding countries.
Since then, this treaty has undergone a number of changes, and the further accession of other states to it contributed to the development of this union in various fields, which ultimately led to the formation of the modern European Union.
The powers of the EU are determined by a number of international treaties of the member states. The Member States of the EU recognize that by adopting and implementing these principles, each state secures for itself the protection of its own sovereignty and economic prosperity in a quiet and secure environment.(?).
The European Union is based on a set of principles that each member state is required to abide by:
1. Respect for democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms
2. Equality before the law
3. Respect for the principles of sovereignty
4. Principles of a free market economy
5. The principle of good governance and the fight against corruption
6. Principles of environmental protection
7. Principles of peace and stability at the regional and international level.
The rule of law is the cornerstone of the European Union. Under EU law, law is above politics and national interests and everyone obeys him, including national leaders and politicians.
EU laws also affect some aspects of the sovereignty of member states. However, EU member states have voluntarily handed over some of their sovereignty to European institutions in the name of creating a stronger and more developed Europe. The EU countries recognize that they are better off working together than as independent states outside the Union.
The heart of the EU is the single European market. It is an economic zone with a common product regulation policy, including the liberalization of the movement of goods, capital, services and labor.
Thanks to this, and by creating equal conditions for competition, and the adoption of a number of rules and common standards in this direction, it was possible to achieve significant advantages for European companies.
In fact, the single market extends beyond the EU to include three other non-member states: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. In order to ensure wider access to the EU single market, the Republic of Moldova is currently negotiating an Association Agreement, which includes the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement.
The European Union is an extremely complex organization and therefore it is not possible to cover all its aspects through our website. Therefore, our goal is to provide the most important and up-to-date information about the relations between the Republic of Moldova and the EU. More information can be found on the following websites:
· For a more detailed acquaintance with the history of the EU, its institutions and powers, you can visit the official website of the European Union;
· You can get the most detailed information about relationships on the official;
· You can also get information about the EU on the website of the Regional Center ;
· And finally, our page, which is constantly updated, contains a large number of useful links. .
60 years have passed from the year of creation. However, a year earlier, Great Britain presented a "surprise": a national referendum revealed the desire of the British to withdraw from this interethnic organization. On March 29, 2019, the Kingdom of Great Britain will become the first and so far the only country in history to leave the European Union. What countries are in the European Union? What are its prospects?
Which countries are in the European Union? List
| № | The country | Capital | Year of entry | Head of the government |
| 1 | Austria | Vein | 1995 | Chancellor - Sebastian Kunz |
| 2 | Belgium | Brussels | 1957 | Prime Minister - Charles Michel |
| 3 | Bulgaria | Sofia | 2007 | Prime Ministers - Boyko Borisov and Tsveta Karayancheva |
| 4 | Hungary | Budapest | 2004 | Prime Minister - Viktor Orban |
| 5 | United Kingdom | London | 1973 | Prime Minister - Theresa May |
| 6 | Greece | Athens | 1981 | Prime Minister - Alexis Tsipras |
| 7 | Germany | Berlin | 1957 | Chancellor - Angela Merkel |
| 8 | Denmark | Copenhagen | 1973 | Prime Minister - Lars Rasmussen |
| 9 | Italy | Rome | 1957 | Prime Minister - Giuseppe Conte |
| 10 | Ireland | Dublin | 1973 | Prime Minister - Leo Wardkar |
| 11 | Spain | Madrid | 1986 | Prime Minister - Pedro Sanchez |
| 12 | Cyprus | Nicosia | 2004 | President - Nikos Anastasiades |
| 13 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 1957 | Prime Minister - Xavier Bettel |
| 14 | Latvia | Riga | 2004 | Prime Minister - Maris Kuchinskis |
| 15 | Lithuania | Vilnius | 2004 | Prime Minister - Saulius Skvernelis |
| 16 | Malta | La Valletta | 2004 | Prime Minister - Joseph Muscat |
| 17 | Netherlands (Holland) | Amsterdam | 1957 | Prime Minister - Mark Rügge |
| 18 | Portugal | Lisbon | 1986 | Prime Minister - António Costa |
| 19 | Poland | Warsaw | 2004 | Prime Minister - Mateusz Morawiecki |
| 20 | Romania | Bucharest | 2007 | Prime Minister - Viorica Dancila |
| 21 | Slovenia | Ljubljana | 2004 | Prime Minister - Miroslav Cerar |
| 22 | Slovakia | Bratislava | 2004 | Prime Minister - Peter Pellegrini |
| 23 | France | Paris | 1957 | Prime Minister - Edward Philip |
| 24 | Finland | Helsinki | 1995 | Prime Minister - Juha Sipilä |
| 25 | Croatia | Zagreb | 2013 | Prime Minister - Andrei Plenkovich |
| 26 | Czech Republic | Prague | 2004 | Prime Minister - Andrei Bibish |
| 27 | Sweden | Stockholm | 1995 | Prime Minister - Stefan Leven |
| 28 | Estonia | Tallinn | 2004 | Prime Minister - Jüri Ratas |
By compiling such a table, we, I think, have answered the question of how many countries and which ones are included in the European Union.
"Non-European" European Union
But the European Union also includes those not located within Europe, the following overseas territories of the EU countries that have a special status are:
Despite these precedents, the EU does not include the equivalent territories of Great Britain, Holland and Denmark.
eurosceptics
However, this is not surprising. After all, even not everyone aspires to become its members. Northerners-Scandinavians treat him coldly. For example, Sweden and Denmark did not completely switch to the euro, retaining their national currencies. What Scandinavian country is not part of the European Union? There are even two of them - Norway and Iceland. Norway was not satisfied with the restrictions imposed by the entry conditions, although the country applied for participation three times. Today, Norway is part of other European agreements like the Schengen one, but no more. For Iceland, this is not a relevant issue at all. Especially after the negotiations that have already taken place.
The eternally neutral Switzerland is also not a member of the European Union. The government was thinking about joining, but the population in the 1992 referendum clearly said: "No!". Belarus and Russia are Euroskeptics and do not look to the West.
The dwarf Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Liechtenstein do not consider the prospects of becoming "unified Europeans". But, however, does not prevent those who wish to connect. These are the Balkan countries.
"School" of the European Union
Here is a list of countries that have an association agreement with here - candidates for joining it. But the association is much broader than Europe.
| The country | Capital | part of the world | Year of signing the contract | Head of the government |
| Albania | Tirana | Europe | 2009 | Chairman - Edi Rama |
| Algeria | Algeria | Africa | 2005 | Prime Minister - Ahmed Ouyahya |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | Europe | 2008 | Chairman - Denis Zvizdich |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | Asia | 2014 | Prime Minister - Mamuka Bakhtadze |
| Egypt | Cairo | Africa | 2004 | Prime Minister - Sherif Ismail |
| Israel | Tel Aviv | Asia | 2000 | Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Jordan | Amman | Asia | 2002 | Prime Minister - Hani Al-Mulki |
| Canada | Ottawa | America | 2013 | Prime Minister - Justin Trudeau |
| Kosovo | Pristina | Europe | 2015 | Prime Minister - Ramos Haradinaj |
| Lebanon | Beirut | Asia | 2006 | Prime Minister - Saad Hariri |
| Macedonia | Skopje | Europe | 2001 | Prime Minister - Zoran Zaev |
| Morocco | Rabat | Africa | 2000 | Prime Minister - Saad ad-Din Al-Osmani |
| Moldova | Kishinev | Europe | 2014 | Prime Minister - Pavel Filip |
| Mexico | mexico city | America | 2000 | President - Enrique Peña Nieto |
| Serbia | Belgrade | Europe | 2011 | Prime Minister - Ana Brnabic |
| Tunisia | Tunisia | Africa | 1998 | Prime Minister - Yousef Shahed |
| Turkey | Ankara | Europe Asia | 1963 | President - Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
| Ukraine | Kyiv | Europe | 2014 | Prime Minister - Volodymyr Groysman |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | Europe | 2010 | Prime Minister - Dusko Markovic |
| Chile | Santiago | America | 2003 | President - Sebastian Piñera |
| South Africa | Pretoria | Africa | 2000 | President - Cyril Ramaphosa |
These are the countries that are included in the "school" of the European Union. After all, in order to become a member, you need to meet the requirements put forward, that is, in fact, to undergo training and pass "exams".
Three graduates
Today Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo are passing it. In Tirana and Skopje, they are still frozen at the stage of the middle "classes": they have the status of candidates. Belgrade, Podgorica and Ankara are on the "release": they are negotiating with Brussels (the capital of the European Union). Moreover, the Turkish "repeated" has been doing this for almost ten years (since 1999), but it is constantly failing in the "exams". In Sarajevo and Pristina - "junior students". The former have just applied for membership, while the latter have so far only verbally announced their intentions.
Changes are also possible in the opposite direction. For example, there is talk of an "anti-European Union" referendum in Holland.
So perhaps the answer to the question "which countries are part of the European Union?" in a few decades it will sound completely different. The composition may change.
Which countries were the first to join the European Union?
The history of the creation of this national association goes back to 1951, when Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and Italy established the European Coal and Steel Community, designed to improve the development of these
In 1957, these same countries decided to expand the "platform" to the EEC (European Economic Community). Now cooperation concerned not only metallurgy and coal mining and everything else. Then the answer to the question of which countries are members of the European Union was short. In the 60s, trade duties between the member countries of the Union were removed. And then there were: 1973, 1981, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2007, 2013. During these years, other countries joined the European Union. The European Union worked to its fullest in the period from 1995 to 1999, when the "Schengen zone" became not a project, but a reality, when a new common European currency, the euro, was put into circulation, when supranational political authorities began to work.
Should the European Union be?
Unfortunately, latest developments in the world economy and politics have added weighty grams to the scales of euroskeptics. The global financial crisis, poorly controlled migration of the population from the war-torn and unrest-ridden Libya and Syria to the EU countries, the chronic lagging behind the northerners of the economy and social institutions of the southerners, which cannot be overcome in any way, the default in Greece, the difficulties of the newcomers to the European Union, hoping for their rapid economic growth , and not stagnation, or, in general, degradation. They added problems and sanctions against Russia, because significant volumes of entire sectors of the economy of the EU countries were oriented to the east.
The Europeans also fear the statement of US President Donald Trump about a possible revision of relations within the NATO military bloc. Create your own army? For what money? Who will command her?
Nietzsche knows
Now the EU is in crisis, and this is good for him. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" - German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche used to say. Today is a challenge for the European Union, if it survives it, it will become much stronger than it was before.
Should the European Union be? Time will tell, but it's unlikely to collapse overnight. Its backbone - the same six founding countries - have done and are doing everything so that the European Union lives and develops.