Chapter 3: The European Union - Establishment and Development (European Union Politics)
candidate countries
A country is deemed to be a candidate country when, having examined its application for EU membership, the EU Council formally recognises the country as candidate, thus granting the country candidate status
Yugoslavia
A country lasting from 1945-1991, the breaking away of which led to massive conflict in the Balkan region of Europe
Maastricht Treaty
A treaty that is responsible for the creation of the European Union, signed in Maastricht, a city in the Netherlands. The Maastricht Treaty was signed on February 7, 1992, by the leaders of 12 member nations, and it reflected the serious intentions of all countries to create a common economic and monetary union.
Social Chapter
Following the election of the UK Labour Party to government in 1997, the UK formally subscribed to the Agreement on Social Policy, which allowed it to be included with minor amendments as the Social Chapter of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam. The UK subsequently adopted the main legislation previously agreed under the Agreement on Social Policy, the 1994 Works Council Directive, which required workforce consultation in businesses, and the 1996 Parental Leave Directive. In the 10 years following the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam and adoption of the Social Chapter the European Union has undertaken policy initiatives in various social policy areas, including labour and industry relations, equal opportunity, health and safety, public health, protection of children, the disabled and elderly, poverty, migrant workers, education, training and youth
intergovernmentalism
Intergovernmentalism treats states, and national governments in particular, as the primary actors in the integration process. Intergovernmentalist approaches claim to be able to explain both periods of radical change in the European Union (because of converging governmental preferences) and periods of inertia (due to diverging national interests)
finalite politique
The 'ultimate political objective(s)' of the EU, as expressed in treaty preambles, Resolutions of the European Council and so forth. In the singular, the finalité politique is generally understood to mean political union.
Reflection Group
The European Council of December 2007 established the Reflection Group "Horizon 2020-2030" to assist the European Union in effectively anticipating and meeting challenges in the longer term horizon of 2020 to 2030. The group of 12 is chaired by Felipe González. It started the work in December 2008 and presented its report to the European Council in May 2010
transparency
The ability for an EU citizen to have knowledge of what's going on in the EU world directly
enhanced cooperation
The furthering of cooperative ideals within the EU
Co-decision
The process in which the European Parliament and European Council amend a directive and ultimately reach an outcome, either ratification or rejectioon
Agenda 2000
a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package proposed by the European Commission in 1998. After a number of modifications, the European Union Heads of State agreed to a package of reforms in March 1999.
Qualified Majority Voting
a method of calculating voting in which at least 55 percent of a member states representing at least 65 percent of the population of the EU must vote "yea" (otherwise, whatever in question fails)
European Political Cooperation
a method of cooperation introduced in 1970 and was the synonym for European Union foreign policy coordination until it was superseded by the Common Foreign and Security Policy in the Maastricht Treaty (November 1993)
Rapid Reaction Force
a military or police unit designed to respond in very short time frames to emergencies. When used in reference to police forces such as SWAT teams, the time frame is minutes, while in military applications, such as with the use of paratroops or other commandos, the time frame is hours to days
eurozone
a monetary union of 19 of the 28 European Union (EU) member states which have adopted the euro (€) as their common currency and sole legal tender
Communitarization
a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Although the community might be a family unit, communitarianism usually is understood, in the wider, philosophical sense, as a collection of interactions, among a community of people in a given place (geographical location), or among a community who share an interest or who share a history
federation
a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions under a central (federal) government
Ratification
a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal
differentiated integration
a process of integration in which the Member States opt to move forward at different speeds and/or towards different objectives, in contrast to the notion of a monolithic bloc of States pursuing identical objectives at a single speed.
European Economic Community
a regional organisation which aimed to bring about economic integration between its member states. It was created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957.[1] Upon the formation of the European Union (EU) in 1993, the EEC was incorporated and renamed as the European Community (EC). In 2009 the EC's institutions were absorbed into the EU's wider framework and the community ceased to exist.
Association Agreements
a treaty between the European Union (EU), its Member States and a non-EU country that creates a framework for co-operation between them. Areas frequently covered by such agreements include the development of political, trade, social, cultural and security links
supranational integration
a type of multinational political union where negotiated power is delegated to an authority by governments of member states. The concept of supranational union is sometimes used to describe the European Union (EU), as a new type of political entity
economic and monetary union
a type of trade bloc which is composed of an economic union (common market and customs union) with a monetary union
multi-speed
a variation of Core Europe
variable geometry
a variation of Core Europe
unanimity
agreement by all people involved; consensus
superstate
an agglomeration of nations and/or states, often linguistically and ethnically diverse, under a single political-administrative structure
assent
an aspect of consent procedure in which under this procedure, the Council of the European Union must obtain Parliament's assent before certain decisions can be made. Acceptance ("assent") requires an absolute majority of votes
yellow card
an external procedure in which the EU issues warnings to another countries concerning practices which are deemed unsustainable or detrimental to the EU
closer cooperation
an increasing in the amount of direct cooperation between EU member states
Treaty of Rome
an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community (EEC) on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany
European Coal and Steel Community
an international organisation serving to unify European countries after World War II. It was formally established by the Treaty of Paris (1951), which was signed by Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The ECSC was the first international organisation to be based on the principles of supranationalism, and would ultimately lead the way to the founding of the European Union
European Convention
an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe
Subsidiarity
an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Political decisions should be taken at a local level if possible, rather than by a central authority.
Constitutional Treaty
an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded Qualified Majority Voting into policy areas which had previously been decided by unanimity among member states. The Treaty was signed on 29 October 2004 by representatives of the then 25 member states of the European Union. It was later ratified by 18 member states, which included referendums endorsing it in Spain and Luxembourg. However the rejection of the document by French and Dutch voters in May and June 2005 brought the ratification process to an end.
dual majority
double majority voting is a form of Qualified Majority Voting which is to apply to almost all policy areas starting in 2014 under the Treaty of Lisbon. Any decision taken under this scheme will require the support of at least 55% of the Council of the European Union members who must also represent at least 65% of the EU's citizens
Charter of Fundamental Rights
enshrines certain political, social, and economic rights for European Union (EU) citizens and residents into EU law. It was drafted by the European Convention and solemnly proclaimed on 7 December 2000 by the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission. However, its then legal status was uncertain and it did not have full legal effect until the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009
constructive abstention
in certain circumstances, it is possible for a country to opt out of supporting a particular action - for example, a joint statement condemning a non-EU country - without blocking it
EU citizenship
introduced by the Maastricht Treaty, which was signed in 1992, and has been in force since 1993. European Union citizenship is supplementary to national citizenship and affords rights such as the right to vote in European elections, the right to free movement, settlement and employment across the EU, and the right to consular protection by other EU states' embassies when a person's country of citizenship does not maintain an embassy or consulate in the country they need protection in
European Ombudsman
is an ombudsman for the European Union, based in the Salvador de Madariaga Building in Strasbourg. The European Ombudsman was established by the Maastricht Treaty and the first, Jacob Söderman of Finland, was elected by Parliament in 1995. The current Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly of Ireland, took office on 1 October 2013.
Western European Union
n international organisation and military alliance, tasked with implementing the Modified Treaty of Brussels (1954), an amended version of the original 1948 Treaty of Brussels. The WEU was established by seven European nations allied with the USA (Capitalist Bloc and NATO members) during the Cold War
Cooperation Procedure
one of the principal legislative procedures of the European Community, before the entrance into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam. It was retained after that treaty but only in a few areas. It was finally repealed by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009. The procedure's introduction by the Single European Act marked the first step toward real power for the European Parliament. Under the procedure the Council could, with the support of Parliament and acting on a proposal by the Commission, adopt a legislative proposal by a qualified majority, but the Council could also overrule a rejection of a proposed law by the Parliament by adopting a proposal unanimously
Supranationalism
outside or beyond the authority of one national government, as a project or policy that is planned and controlled by a group of nations
Eurosceptics
people uncertain of - or against - the existence of a European Union, especially as is
accession treaties
promises made between the EU and prospective member states in order to become members of the EU
regimes
refering to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature, such as a government
Community method
refers to decision making processes in the European Union which emphasise the roles of the supranational decision making bodies such as the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice of the European Union
a la carte
subscribing to European integration on a case-by-case basis; being nit-picky about certain areas of EU integration
Committee of the Regions
the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice within the EU's institutional framework.
European Council
the Institution of the European Union (EU) that comprises the heads of state or government of the member states, along with the council's own president and the president of the Commission.
flexibility
the ability to be easily modified
competence
the ability to do something successfully or efficiently
accession
the act of joining a treaty by a party that did not take part in its negotiations
cohesion
the action or fact of forming a united whole
differentiation
the action or process of making or becoming different in the process of growth or development
European Central Bank
the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy of the Eurozone, which consists of 19 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world. It is one of the world's most important central banks and is one of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) listed in the Treaty on European Union (TEU)
High Representative
the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European Union (EU). The position is currently held by Federica Mogherini.
convergence criteria
the criteria which European Union member states are required to meet to enter the third stage of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and adopt the euro as their currency
Powers
the differentiation of focuses between the branches of the EU. This also encompasses the differentiation of focuses between supranational organizations and intergovernmental organizations.
enlargement
the expansion of the European Union in terms of numbers of member states
Single European Act
the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a single market by 31 December 1992, and codified European Political Cooperation, the forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. It was signed at Luxembourg on 17 February 1986, and at The Hague on 28 February 1986. It came into effect on 1 July 1987, under the Delors Commission.
Intergovernmental Conference
the formal procedure for negotiating amendments to the founding treaties of the European Union
core Europe
the idea that different parts of the European Union should integrate at different levels and pace depending on the political situation in each individual country
treaty base
the immediate impetus of creating a document designed to better improve public perspective of the European Union
legitimacy
the lawfulness or authenticity of something
harmonization
the process of creating common standards across the internal market
European integration
the process of industrial, political, legal, economic, social and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe. European integration has primarily come about through the European Union and its policies.
cooperation
the process of working together to the same end
Amending Treaty
the revision of a treaty ratified by European bodies, often in an attempt to bolster its influence
supranational institutions
types of multinational political union where negotiated power is delegated to an authority by governments of member states
acquis communautaire
very important concept in the European Union. It covers all treaties, EU legislation, international agreements, standards, court verdicts, fundamental rights provisions and horizontal principles in the treaties such as equality and non-discrimination