The European Union
The European Union (EU) is a unique political and economic community with supranational and intergovernmental dimensions. It is composed of twenty-seven member states primarily located in Europe. In 1957, six European countries formed the European Economic Community (EEC) by the Treaty of Rome. Since then the EU has grown in size through the accession of new member states and has increased its powers by the addition of new policy areas to its remit. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty established the base of the current legal framework. The EU created a single market which seeks to guarantee the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital between member states.[2] It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a regional development policy.[3] In 1999 the EU introduced a common currency, the euro, which has been adopted by thirteen member states. It has also developed a role in foreign policy, and in justice and home affairs. Passport control and customs checks between many member states were abolished under the Schengen Agreement.[4] With over 492 million citizens the EU generates an estimated nominal GDP of €11.6 ($15.7) trillion in 2007.[1] Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the Parliament every five years. The EU represents its members in the WTO and observes the G8 summits.
After the end of the Second World War the political climate favoured the unification of Europe. It was seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent.[5] One such attempt to unite Europeans was the European Coal and Steel Community which, while having the modest aim of centralised control of the previously national coal and steel industries of the its member states, was declared to be "a first step in the federation of Europe".[6]
Two additional communities were created 1957: the European Economic Community (EEC) establishing a Customs Union, and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in nuclear energy.[7] In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities, although more commonly just as the European Community (EC).[8] In 1973 the European Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[9] In 1979 the first direct, democratic, elections of members of the European Parliament were held.[10] Enlargement, 1957 to 2007. European Communities European UnionGreece, Spain and Portugal joined in the 1980s.[11] In 1985 the Schengen Agreement was developed between European states to allow for the abolition of systematic border controls between the participating countries.[12] In 1986 the European flag was adopted and leaders signed the Single European Act which was to reduce trade barriers and introduce European Political Cooperation. After the fall of the iron curtain, East Germany and West Germany joined to form the re-united Germany in 1990 (and therefore the former Eastern Germay became part of the European Community).[13] With enlargement toward eastern Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen Criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed. The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993. In 1995 Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the newly established EU. The Amsterdam Treaty, which was signed in 1997, amended the Maastricht treaty in areas such as democracy and foreign policy. Amsterdam was quickly followed by the Treaty of Nice in 2001, which revised the Rome and Maastricht treaties to allow the EU to cope with further enlargement to the east. In 2002 euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. In 2004 ten new countries (eight of which had formerly been communist countries) joined the EU.[14] Later in 2004, the European Constitution was signed in Rome. It was to replace all previous treaties with a single document, however it was never completed ratification after rejection by French and Dutch voters in referenda. In 2007, it was agreed to replace that proposal with a new Reform Treaty, that would amend rather than replace the existing treaties. At the start of 2007 Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU and the euro was adopted by Slovenia.
Legal system
The basis of the EU is the series of treaties. The first teaties established both the European Community and the European Union and subsequent treaties amendmed those founding treaties. The treaties established institutions and assigned them legal powers to carry out their function.[37] These legal powers include the ability to enact legislation which can directly affect all member states and their inhabitants.[39] National courts are required to enforce the EU treaties and the laws enacted under them, even if doing so requires them to ignore their national law and constitution.[40] EU legislation (other than the treaties themselves) comes in two forms: directives and regulations. Directives require member states to achieve the results outlined in the directive, while leaving them free to choose how to achieve that result. One of the main advantages of directive is thus that high level policy choices can be made at a European level while the details of their implementation are left to national governments. Regulations are legislative acts which become law in all member states the moment they come into force, without the requirement for any implementing measures to have been taken. The contents of a regulation can be said to be the law of every member state overriding conflicting domestic provisions. One of the complicating features of the EU's legal system is the multiplicity of legislative procedures used to enact directives and regulations. The treaties micro-manage the EU's powers, indicating different ways of adopting legislation for different policy areas and for different areas within the same policy areas.[43] A common issue in all legislative procedures, however, is that almost all legislation must be proposed by the Commission, rather than member states or European parliamentarians.[44] The two most common procedures to ratifie the rules are codecision, under which the European Parliament can veto proposed legislation, and consultation, under which the Parliament is only permitted to give an opinion which can be subsequently ignored by the European leaders. The judicial branch of the EU consists of the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance. Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law of the EU.[45] The Court of First Instance mainly deals with cases taken by individuals and companies directly before the EU's courts. While the Court of Justice deals with cases taken by member states, the institutions and cases referred to the EU's courts by the courts of member states.[46] Decisions from the Court of First Instance can be appealed to the Court of Justice but only on a point of law.
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