European Politics Final

montenegro app to the EU

applied for membership in 2008, became candidate in 2010, difficult for country to gain entry because of naming issues between Greece and UN.

albania app to the EU

applied for membership in 2009, not yet recognized as a candidate.

market correcting and market cushioning policies

attempt to compensate for the cost to particular groups that particular groups experience because of the free market- essentially protecting people from the marketplace.

Common agricultural policy

attempts to protect farmers from the perils of the free market by putting tariffs on foreign goods. created a market for agricultural goods within the EU, and has subjected foreign goods to high tariffs.

kosovo app to the EU

became independent (according to some) in 2008, but has never signed the SAP.

european neighboorhood policy

group of countries with which the EU has social, political, and economic ties. Includes countries in North Africa, Central Asia, Israel, PA, Syria, and Armenia.

Entry into the EU

-Accession: entry by a country into the EU -absorption capacity: the EUs ability to integrate new members into the system -candidate: A country whos application for membership is confirmed by the EU but which is not yet a member -conditionality: the fact that accssion is a condition on a country fulfilling the criteria for membership -screening: occurs at the start of negotiations when the applicant and the commission acquis to see if there are particular problems that need to be resolved for a country to gain access to the EU -transitional period: a period after accession when come of the aquis may be delayed -variable geometry: also called europe at 2 speeds- notion tht not all EU members states should take part in every field of policy. (EX. UK, Ireland not taking part in the Eurozone.)

common security and defense policy

-EU appeared timid and weak in its response to crisis in the Balkans, NATO led the operation and the US contributed much more than europe did. -has had some achievements, such as the 2002 intervention in the Congo -some argue that the CSDP is just a way for those who oppose the US dominance of NATO to distance themselves from the organization and to limit european contributions to NATO operations - has increased europes capability to defend itself and carry out its foreign policy; there is also greater security cooperation now than ever before

Role of EU organizations in policy making

-commission: initiates proposal -EP and council: vote on the propsals and make amedments -european council: determines the larger policy directives of the EU, so they have control over all other institutions even though they are not directly involved in the policy-making process -ECJ: settles disputes between states and serves as a court of appeals for EU-28 and citizens on EU policy.

NATO

-established in 1949 by the Washington treaty as the main security organization to oppose power of USSR in western europe. - article 5: NATO members pledge to help each other if one is attacked -28 members, 21 are EU members

Roles of EU insitiutions on security policy

-european parliament: consent procedure involved in EP expressing consent on treaties, EP does not pass laws on foreign policy but it can make recommendations. -council of ministers: has the biggest role in CFSP- sice CFSP is mostly intergovernmental, the foreign ministers meeting w each other is how policy is mainly determined. -european commission: not a powerful actor within the CFSP- however the high commissioner is the main foreign policy negotiator the the EU.. and the EC does most of the work when it comes to enlargement -european council: At center of CFSP since it determines the larger policy directives of the EU.

20-20-20 partnership

-foundation if EUs energy policy today. -includes 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 20% of energy consumption through renewable sources of energy, 20% improvement of EUs energy efficiency. -want to get to 80-90% by 2050

right and left today in europe

-left more favorable to the states intervening in the economy, right more favorable to laissez-faire economics. -left more favorable toward state action creating economic equality. -differences between right and left on employer-employee relations -right is moer nationalist, right is more favorable toward globalization, left tends to be less favorable of the EU

2 frameworks of intergovermental cooperation on security

1. 1976 trevi framework on drug trafficking and terrorism 2. 1985 schengen area

3 pillars of the European Union

1. European community 2. Common Foreign and Security Policy 3. Justice and Home Affairs

3 parts of EU security policy

1. common foreign and security policy 2. common security and defense policy 3. police and judical cooperation

3 models for public funding of political parties

1. comprehensive funding-finances almost every aspect of political party 2. financing half of party operations 3. absence of funding with the recent americanization of political parties, there has been a need for public funding because campaigns have become more expensive and public funding does not cover all of the operations

14 step process to membership in EU

1. country submits app for admission to the council of ministers. 2. council asks commission for an opinion on accession. 3. commission gives its opinion. 4. council confirms country as a candidate for application. 5. council decides to open accession negociations, which are conducted in an intergovernmental conference between the EU member states and each applicant individually. 6. commission examines the different parts of Copenhagen criteria with the applicant. 7. for each part, the applicant presents a position, the commission presents a position, and a common position is created; the council approves it for presentation to the applicant. 8. after an agreement is reached on the chapter, the EU decides whether to close it. 9. After all chapters are closed, EU and applicant draft a treaty of accession. 10. Commission issues its opinion on the treaty. 11. european parliament gives its opinion on the treaty. 12. member states and applicants sign the treaty. 13. signatory states ratify the treaty (which could require a referendum.) 14. treaty of accession comes into force and the applicant becomes a member state. States currently looking to become members of the EU: (turkey, macedonia, bosnia, herzegovnia, albania, kosovo, montenegro, and serbia.) --usually takes 8-9 years for application to go through.

3 things the Lisbon treaty did w CFSP (common foreign and security policy)

1. created high representative of foreign policy for the EU 2. created position of president of the european council 3. created a diplomatic service who assits the high representative, they are diplomats representing the EU

Manifestation of EU as a global actor

1. dominant economy 2. EUs humanitarian and defense policy is present in several theaters 3. euro is an important international currency 4. some EU members (france & britain mostly) are important world players 5. enlargement of the EU- gone from 6-28 states since 1973 6. europe as an immigrant destination 7. major global actors in environmental policy 8. EU members are important part of UN, and EU itself has observer status

Why countries apply for membership to the EU

1. economic reasons- the EU provides a great deal of economic opportunities, foreign direct investment, increased trade, etc. 2. as a catalyst for developing democracy- especially the case for eastern europe and the balkans 3. important for being a part of the european community 4. template for going from centrally controlled economy to a market economy; especially the case for eastern europe

Problems with EU and NATO

1. european militaries lean too much on NATO 2. european militaries are under-funded and lack technology and ability

3 themes of the EU book

1. experimentation and change 2. sharing power and seeking consensus 3. scope and capacity

4 approaches to understand the EU

1. international relations approach: question of why EU members have chosen to pool their sovereignty. 2. comparative politics approach: new institutionalists see EU as a system in which cooperation between states is accepted. 3. public policy approach: EU policies are shaped by informal bargaining and there is no EU heirarchy, so there is always bargaining. 4. sociological/cultural approach: social norms affect policy, negotiators are self interested so there will never be a policy that is purely good, EU is a miracle in that it is able to get anything done w 28 different member states.

6 concluding points in Magone on Europe

1. learning from each other; diversity and convergence in european politics 2. mediazation and electoral markets in europe 3. europe as a multilevel governance system 4. flexible means of communication: positive and critical issues of e-government and e-democracy. 5. toward multicultural societies? the challenge of immigration in Europe 6. the unification of the continent as a milestone

main party families in the EU

1. liberals 2. christian democrats and conservatives 3. social democrats 4. communists and far left-(1920 communists international... organized by Lenin, vanguard for communists around the world/communists powerful in france, greece, czech republic.) 5. neo-fascists/ far right-(specifically western and eastern europe/legacy of facism and totalitarianism: Nazis, fascists in Italy, etc.) 6. Greens-(part of new left in europe. general dissatisfaction among young people over direction of politics in europe/issues include nuclear power, environment, etc./powerful in germany, france and netherlands. 7. regional parties-(belgium, spain, UK) 8. new populism/euro skeptics-(aka new right/active in france, UK, netherlands/known for its charismatic leaders, anti-immigration speech etc.)

traditional separation between left and right

1. monarchy vs parliamentary system 2. priviledge for some vs equality for all 3. equality with taxes 4. clericalism vs. secularism 5. employers vs workers

Steps in the creation of the EU

1. treaty of paris 1951- founded the european coal and steel community, created a common steel and coal market, goal was to create connections between france and germany. 2. treaty of rome 1957-founded the european economic community (EEC) created the common market, customs union, common policiesm etc. 3. single european act 1986- first major amendment to the treaty of rome, goal was to establish a single market and also pan-european political cooperation. *have more free trade between states. 4. maastricht treaty 1992- formed the EU, included the political and economic integration of europe, led to creation of euro and eurozone. 5. amsterdam treaty 1997- amended the maastricht treaty, put greater emphasis on the rights of individuals, increaed powers of EP, established beginning of CFSP. goal was to simply european structure 6. nice treaty 2001- amended maastricht treaty to account for eastward expansion. 7. lisbon treaty 2007- established current set up of EU, ended 3 pillars, brought in qualified majority voting, did many things the previously rejected european constitutional treaty tried but did not do.

eurozone

18 members, controls the euro

Trade between the EU and US

Both are essential trading partners for each other, hundreds and billions in trade and investments each year. at center is the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. 2 parts to making this trade deal; reduce tariff barriers and reduce non-tariff barriers (includes regulations, delaying products from entering the market, safety concerns, etc. esp difficult with agricultural products and cultural products)

scope and capacity (theme of the EU book)

EU has called for width vs depth. But this has come w limitations of what the EU can really do. also questions about the EU as a global power (EU is a global economic power, but lacks security; none of EUs members are global powers).

Experimentation and change (theme of the EU book)

EU is constantly evolving; has to reshape its institutions and treaties to deal with new challeges; EU's economics, foreign policy, etc have all changed; changes happen incrementally not all at once

Schengen Area

EU members that have a common visa and immigration policy, has 28 members. Main idea with internal movement is the facilitation of trade, because the free movement of people is essential for a customs union

frontex

EUs agency for managing the external border, meant to facilitate cooperation on external border security

france and the EU

France is a semi-presidental system (has a directly elected president (Francois Hollande), an appointed prime minister, and bicameral legislature). France and EU have been very close (one of the original 6)

germany and the EU

Germany is a federal state, has a president and chancellor (Angela Merkel) has a bicameral legislature, & has a very good democratic record with little political corruption. politically and economically, it is the dominant face of the EU but is not a global power on its own (has regained influence thru "soft" power)

americanization of european political parties

a recent development in the politics of europe. features include negative campaigning, personalization of candidates, increased competition, etc. BUT political issues that are discussed in europe have not been americanized. - european political parties are now more pragmatic in terms of generating support and less ideological (need to appeal to specific groups of voters no matter what ideology they have)

competition policy

about facilitating competition between firms and battling monopolistic practices that privledge national producers over those in other EU states

european community humanitarian office

allowed the EU to become the worlds largest donor of humanitarian aid

Action Plan

an agenda that is set up for 3-5 years that is designed to help states develop economically and democratically

European council

began in 1970s as informal meetingd between heads of government, became offical EU instituatio in 2007 lisbon treaty, includes heads of government from the EU-28 and the president of the commission, deals w really big issues facing the EU, EU needs their support.

Bosnia app to the EU

began negociating in 2005 and is considered a potential candidate

EU and russia relationship

both are independent; EU relies on russia for 25% of its oil and natural gas; russia is dependent on europe to export its products and purchase its raw materials; EU must enjoy a collective balance of keeping russia close but also punishing the country when it goes agianst morals promoted by the EU (even though russia is not a member)

Majoritarian system

characterized by a concentration of executive power in a single party and a strong prime minister, achieved by a majoritarian electoral system. UK, Greece, Spain, and France

proportional system

characterized by a power sharing government that works consensually with the legislature and that consists of several parties without an overall majority, mainly as a result of elections based off of a highly democratic proportional representation. Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries.

serbia app to the EU

cleared to be recommended for candidacy in EU and became candidate in 2012.

externalizing internal policy

commission establishes certain positions and norms in the EU in regards to several issues

The UK and the EU

consitiutional monarchy, worlds oldest existing democracy (but no written constitution) has a prime minister (David Cameron) bicameral legislature. developments in UK post WWII: rise of welfare state and integration into the european community. UK admitted into EEC in 1973, questions of whether the UK is really a part of europe.

european political cooperation

created in 1970 to coordinate european foreign policies, it was dominated by national foreign ministries, they identified where there policies overlapped but there was no reference to a common foreign policy

EU exclusive competencies

customs union, competition rules for the internal market, monetary policy for Eurozone members, conservation of marine resources, common agricultural policy, conclusion of international agreements

eurojust

deals with cooperation of judicial systems.

Turkeys app to the EU

declared eligible for EU membership in 1997 became caididate in 1999. positive agenda: launched in 2011 to give accession talks a shot in the arm and revive idea that turkey could be an EU member. obstacles: turkish republic of northern cyprus; france and others concern about non-europeans entering EU; armenian genocide; concerns over human rights, democracy, military, etc; Gezi park protests

common commercial policy

describes relationship between members of the EU and third party states on trade matters. supports liberalization and elimination of trade barriers to FDI

council of europe (COE)

designed post WWII by churchill, meant to bring europe together and create peace, USSR and its partners not in, now includes about 50 members with the collapse of the USSR

3 problems with CFSP (common foreign and security policy)

disunity, incoherence, and a lack of leadership

cartel parties

emerged in the 1980s thanks to mediatization of politics and the decline in political party membership, office seeking party that is interested in staying close to structures of power, relies on public and private funding as well as the media.

mass parties

emerged in the 19th century in response to the expansion of sufferage, social democrats and christian democrats were the most powerful, drew support from the large working class and catholic population

european central bank

established 1992, manage monetary policy, set interest rates, and promote monetary and price stability.

common foreign and security policy (CFSP)

established by 1992 maastricht treaty, designed to cover all aspects of foreign and security policy. -goal peace in europe and in the world. -mostly about promoting european 'soft' power like, sustainable development, free trade, human rights, development and respect for international law

Europol

established in 1995, would faciliate the exchange of intelligence and coordination of criminal investigations between national police forces.

Foreign policy in the EU

even though the EU has expanded its supranational foreign policy power through the High representative and commission, foreign policy is still intergovernmental.

justice and home affairs

formerly the 3rd pillar of the EU; includes the free movement of people, judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, fighting terror, organized crime, human trafficking, drug trade, and new security challenges with EU enlargement

4 freedoms of the common market

free movement of people, capital, services and goods

european court of justice

goal is to conform laws of the EU-28 w the EU's laws. 28 judges, duties include interpretation and application of treaties, settle diputes between states, disputes between states and the EU, or the EU and individual. can fine states that do not follow european law.

common foreign and security policy (pillar 2)

responsible for common EU positions on FP, common action to strengthen the security of the EU, preserve peace, and promote international cooperation

justice and home affairs (pillar 3)

responsible for dealing with cross-border crime, criminal law, and police cooperation

troika

includes the three main actors in EU monetary and economic policy: 1)EU representatives 2)ECB reps 3)reps from the IMF

EU member state shared competencies

internal market, social policy, economic social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and fisheries, environment, consumer support, transport, energy, consumer safety

cohesion policy

introduced to reduce inequality between regions and compensate poor countries for the costs of economic cooperation. makes up 36% of the EUs budget

petersburg tasks

made humanitarian and rescue missions, peacekeeping, and peacemaking as basic EU foreign policy goals.

stability and association process package (SAP)

main stepping stone for application to the EU, includes financial aid package and trade concessions.

council of ministers

makes up half the european bicameral legislature with the EP. composed of national ministers who are relevent to the current topic that is being discussed. always 28 members. council has a president that rotates every 6 months (right now it is greece).

copehagen criteria

membership requirements that have become the standard for EU enlargement-like countries having democratic institutions, market economies, respecting human rights, etc.

organization for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

mostly comprehensive intergovernmental security organization in the world; includes european nations, US, canada, former soviet republics in central Asia, etc.

european community (pillar 1)

responsible for the internal market, environmental and social cohesion, economic and monetary union, immigration, asylum, and visas

European parliament

only directly elected multinational parliament in the world. 751 seats, 150+ political parties, makes up half of EU bicamerical liegislature, appoints president of the commission.

aid and development policy

part of the EUs larger security policy and trade policy. the EU hands out about 50 billion euros annually in international development aid. may be designed to promote free trade, development, human rights, etc.

cadre parties

parties that were active after the french revolution, built on elite network of wealthy notables

Partnership for peace agreement

partnership between EU and russia since russia is not a member of the EU neighborhood group; want to bring russia into a european security and cooperation regime.

empty chair crisis

prompted by de Gaulle's decision to pull france out of the council of ministers meeting in 1965. opposed the commissions plans to extend the powers of the council and qualified majority voting.

transatlantic trade and investment partnership

proposed free trade agreements between EU and US. has not been agreed to yet because of differences on EU policies on agricultural goods and GMOs.

member state competencies

protection and improvement of health, industry, culture, tourism, education, civil procedure, administrative cooperation

political and security committee

provided link between CFSP (common foreign security policy) and CSDP (common security and defense policy) so the EU could accomplish its foreign policy goals

Sharing power and seeking consensus (theme of the EU book)

question of how to get 28 different members to agree to a policy when they have diff customs, diff political systems, and speak diff languages. with EUs members being sovereign states, they always try to work together to reach a consensus.

catch-all parties

replaced mass parties in the 1960s, less about ideology and more about staying in power, parties led by an elite group, seeking a wide array of support from many different groups, top-down approach and competition in the electoral market.

European commission

right to draft policy proposals, implement policies, and make sure these policies are being followed. 28 commissioners, are appointed for 5 years by their home governments, supposed to be international civil servents.

EU environmental and energy policy

since the 1970s the EU has been especially concerned with environmental protection. 3 areas of concern: 1) Protection of natural capital-protecting shared resources, like air, water, natural habitats, etc. 2) creating a resource efficient green economy- use resources efficiently and reduce consumption of important resources like fossil fuels and water 3) safeguarding health and well-being- reduce pollution, ensure clean drinking water, reduce noise, etc.

Doha development round

talks broke down because EU and US disagreed with LDCs on subsidies and protection from their agricultural sectors

origins of left and right in politics

terms first used during the french revolution- conservatives who wanted to keep a monarchy sat to the right of the speaker and those who wanted a diff regime sat to the left.

community method

the commission has a monopoly on the right to propse legislation or propose ammendments; council of ministers can act by a qualified majority.

market-building policies

the focus on liberalization and the creation of a single market. includes removing barriers to trade and carrying out regulatory reform. includes the 4 freedoms of the common market.

european defense agency

the main CFSP institution, created in 2004 to support member states and the council in their effort to improve european defense capabilities, facilitates cooperation between the european defense ministries and arms makers