Midterm 2
Shock therapy economic reform: Why does economic reform lead to unemployment?
Economic reform can lead to unemployment if it grows too rapidly, since demand for goods may become too expensive, forcing the rapid laying off employees and the need for higher taxes to compensate for a loss of profit and wages. This may put a strain on the economy as taxes are heavily utilized to rescue failing businesses, rather than funding social welfare services, which the unemployed would have benefitted from, and cause further damage to the economy, as labor shortages hinder the ability to produce goods and maintain stability within the system.
European Commission
Membership o 28 commissioners, one from each country member - approved by European Parliament o President of the Commission (nominated by European Council) acts as the Commission 'Prime Minister of the EU' o President and members of Commission must be approved by European Parliament o Each commissioner supervises one or more Commission department - EU ministries o Each department has an administrative head, the Director-Generals, who are the highest-level civil servant in the Commission bureaucracy.
What is the basis for conflict between Poland under Law and Justice and the EU?
* Law and Justice party was extremely critical of EU policy to accept refugees, and this led to conflict with Poland and the EU, as the EU is built on a policy of open but protected borders, and Poland wanted to respect this EU policy and be able to accept refugees, when other countries have refused to accept refugees, but Law and Justice opposed allowing migrants into the country, leading to tensions surrounding the migrant crisis.
How did the Democratic Left Alliance form and what did it stand for?
- The Democratic Left Alliance was formed in 1991 as the result of a coalition between the SDRP (Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland) and the All Poland Trade Unions Alliance (OPPZ). - The Democratic Left Alliance stood for a substantial social welfare system and considered membership in the EU as the best option for Poland's future, thus supporting continued market reform.
What were the conditions under which Poland's governmental institutions and electoral rules were chosen?
- The majority of elected officials within Poland's government institutions were selected by the people through popular vote. - Initially, the polish system lacked a proper electoral threshold, and as a result there were irregularities over the percentage of votes needed to earn a seat in government, and far too many parties were involved in the first democratic government, which led to political instability and frequent disagreement over legislation and issues between parties. - However, this was changed so that a party must gain 5% of the electoral threshold to hold seats, and this decreased the number of veto powers, creating political stability and allowing for the sharing of seats between two major parties rather than seven.
Who were the original six members of the EU?
Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Germany
Comparison of 2014 and 2019 Elections to the European Parliament
EPP - Center Right 2014 - 29% 2019 - 21% S&D - Center Left 2014 - 25% 2019 - 19% ECR - Conservative 2014 - 10% 2019 - 8% ALDE+ En Marche! - Centrist 2014 - 9% 2019 - 13% GUE/NGL - Left 2014 - 7% 2019 - 7% G-EFA - Green 2014 - 7% 2019 - 12% EFD -> Brexit Party (2019) - Right/Far Right 2014 - 6% 2019 - Not Attending ENF - Nationalist / Far Right 2014 - 5% 2019 - 11% Turnout 2014 - 43% 2019 - 51% -------------------------------------------------------------- The traditional center-left and, to a lesser degree, center-right political parties that have long channeled European representation desires and mobilization, have been losing steam, often opening space for newcomers.
Compare political competition in Poland BEFORE joining the EU and AFTER joining the EU. How has the party system changed? Why has the party system changed?
How Has the Party System Changed? • Incentives for political parties to moderate their positions and move to center is gone. • Political 'realignment' - support for leftwing parties declines • Two rightwing parties, one center right and one rightwing populist gain increasing support. -------------------------------------------------------------- Why Has the Party System Changed? • New support for right-wing parties, as they agreed more with the political views and social interests of the citizens and were more aggressive at pursuing big-ticket legislation surrounding the market and business, and willing to decrease taxes. • As the amount of parties holding a majority decreases, there is now a more fair spread of seats on both sides, meaning that there is less of an incentive to move towards the center, and coalitions with parties that agree with your political views are more easily formed, decreasing the need to move to the center to be able to agree on issues.
European Council
Membership o EU Head of State o Made up of the presidents or prime ministers of EU member countries o New Positions of 2009 TEU (Treaty of the European Union): (1) President of the European Council (2) High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy - a kind of EU Secretary of State -------------------------------------------------------------- Responsibilities o Sets the overall political direction and priorities of the EU o Has no legislative powers
European Parliament
Membership o Only directly elected EU institution o Elections occur every five years via proportional representation o Each member country elects members to the European parliament o Number of members is roughly proportional to a country's population within the EU o Smallest countries get more representatives than population alone would dictate. § Germany, the largest member, gets 96 seats § Luxembourg, one of the smallest, gets 6 seats -------------------------------------------------------------- Responsibilities o Together with the Council on the European Union, the EP is responsible for passing, amending, or rejecting laws proposed by the European Commission o The EP provides member citizens direct access to decision-making in the EU o But it cannot initiate legislation
Compare Powers of Polish President v. French President
a) Polish President o Elected Directly by People o Supreme Commander of Armed Forces o Can Dissolve Parliament o Appoints Prime Minister o Can be Removed by Parliament Through a Vote of No Confidence o Can Veto Legislation (3/5 override) b) French President o Elected Directly and Popularly by People o Can Dissolve the National Assembly and Call New Elections o Appoints Premier and Cabinet o Commands Armed Forces o Cannot be Removed by Parliament o Cannot Veto Legislation - Key difference is that the Polish President can veto legislation with a 3/5 override, while the French President does not have the right to veto legislation, and another difference is that the French president cannot be removed by Parliament while the Polish president can removed by Parliament if the government is dissolved by a successful vote of no confidence.
How does Poland's semi-presidential system differ from France's semi-presidential system?
a) Polish System - The President o Appoints Prime Minister, subject to election by Sejm o Can veto legislation (3/5 override) - Prime Minister & Cabinet o PM & Cabinet are leaders of parties in majority coalition of Sejm o Oversees daily functioning of government - Senate (Upper Chamber) o Popularly elected o Required for veto override - Sejm (Lower Chamber) o Popularly elected o 460 seats o Lawmaking body o **Must elect PM and Cabinet o **Vote of no confidence in PM and Cabinet - government must resign. o Required for veto override b) French System - President o Directly and popularly elected o Head of State o Conducts foreign affairs o Commander-in-Chief of armed forces o Appoints Premier & Cabinet ("the government") o CAN dissolve the National Assembly and call new elections o Cannot be removed by parliament o Can NOT veto legislation (signature not required) - The Premier (Prime Minister and Cabinet) o Member of parliament, but must resign his position upon appointment as Premier o Head of Government o Premier is appointedby President (not elected by parliament) o Nominates members of the Cabinet o Oversees daily functioning of government o Conventional for Premier to be leader of majority party/coalition - Parliament (bicameral) o Upper House: Senate o Not directly elected o No veto power ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- o Lower House: National Assembly o Popularly elected (5-year terms, or less) o 577 seats o The lawmaking body o Vote of no confidence o Premier and cabinet (Executive #2) are leaders of majority coalition o Has veto power
Why is the EU so successful in forcing countries to comply fully with the criteria for joining?
o EEC (Now EU) adopted policies to help poorer members o Members with per capita GDP < 75% EEC (Now EU) average receive substantial financial aid o Joining provides valuable aid for developing economies of less prosperous member countries as well as helping to fund basic services such as healthcare and education. o Any country can apply if they are European and respect the democratic values of the EU, which provides another incentive to join.
May 2014 Elections to the European Parliament (Turnout 43%)
o EPP Groups of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) - Center Right - 29% of seats o S&D Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats - Center Left - 25% of seats o ECR European Conservatives and Reformists - Conservative - 10% of Seats o ALDE Group of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe - Centrist - 9% of Seats o GUE/NGL European United Left - Nordic Green Left - Left - 7% of Seats o EFA European Greens - European Free Trade Alliance - Green - 7% of Seats o EFD Europe of Freedom and Democracy - Right/Far Right - 6% of Seats o ENF Europe of Nations and Freedom - Nationalist/Far Right - 5% of Seats o NI - Independents - Non-Partisan - 2% of Seats
What role did the European Commission and enlargement of the EU play in the 2013/14 crisis in Ukraine?
o In December 2013, a member of the European Commission traveled to Kiev, to meet with the Ukrainian opposition, and Russia strongly opposed the Eastern Partnership agreement, and the purpose of this meeting was likely to address the human rights situation, evaluate the state of democracy, and propose EU law, in hopes that Ukraine would eventually consider joining again (via an EU agreement), as tensions in the country had interrupted progress to join which had begun a few years prior. o The enlargement of the EU may have worsened the crisis, as even proposing admitting Russia and Ukraine to the EU in the midst of tensions, would create insecurity as questions are raised about how this will work, as the EU is meant to promote peace and economic stability, but both countries were in a state of tension, so even adding other surrounding countries which are not yet members, could create other problems such as disputes over territory and access to resources.
How did accession impact Poland's economy in the long term?
o Poland is largest new EU entrant o 51 MEPs in European Parliament (Germany has 96) o Poland received 3.5 billion euro in EU aid o Exports rose immediately by 30% o Tourism increased dramatically o GDP per capita has grown steadily: starting in 1997 has gone from ~$12,500 to ~$29,000 today o ¾ of Polish citizens are happy with EU Membership
What must a country do in order to join the EU?
o Political: Country must be a democracy o Economy: Country must have a "functioning market economy" o Judicial/Legal: Passage of acquis communautaire- EU Law
The 1991 Polish parliament, first fully competitive competitively elected parliament after collapse of communism, had 29 parties. What were the implications of a parliament with so many parties?
o Short-lasting government, excessive veto-power, and political instability.
How has the European Union changed since its founding as the six member European Coal and Steel Community to the 28 member union today?
o Since its founding after WWII in 1951 (as the ECSC), EU has enlarged six times. - 1973 (United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland) - 1981 (Greece) - 1986 (Spain, Portugal) - 1995 (Austria, Sweden, Finland) - 2004/07 (12 countries of Eastern Europe) - 2013 (Croatia - a former republic of Yugoslavia) o Each enlargement has expanded the scope and power of the EU at the cost of each country's national sovereignty.
What does the Law and Justice Party stand for and how does it differ from Civic Platform?
o Stands for a combination of Polish identity-based nationalism, religious conservatism, anti-elitism, and defense of "Polish Values" - Opposes gay marriage - has halted additional reform to support LGBT rights - Supports a total ban on Abortion (backed down on legislation to ban abortion in face of mass protests) - Moved to retroactively force the retirement of judges 65 and older (about 1/3 of Supreme Court) -------------------------------------------------------------- - Civic Platform takes a similar stance to Law and Order on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and non-Christian religious values, but differs because it is more supportive of higher taxes and generous welfare programs, rather than leaning more towards big business, market reforms, and lower taxes.
When and why was the European Union founded?
o The EU was originally known as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which was founded on April 18, 1951, following the Treaty of Paris, becoming the EU on November 1, 1993. The ideological basis for the ECSC and today's European Union is the belief that economic integration makes war less likely. o The EU was founded to prevent war between member countries, uniting European countries both economically and peacefully.
What are the major causes of the increase in 'Euroscepticism' over the past decade?
o The EU's inability to respond to a series of crises in ways that reflect the interests and well-being of all member nations has undermined confidence in the European Union. - Failure to protect citizens of EU from eurozone crisis, which led to a devaluing of the Euro, and a significant recession (surge in unemployement) - Some citizens are opposed to the enlargement of the EU, as hypothetically having to account for several more countries may decrease the funding for individual countries, and may create challenges with passing EU legislation that is in the interest of the citizens due to the potential for increased disagreements over politics.
What were the Round Table Negotiations?
o The Round Table Negotiations were talks held in 1989 in Warsaw between the Communist Party and Pro-Democratic Solidarity party.
How did the accession process impact political competition prior to joining the EU?
o The accession process led to political competition between center-left and center-right parties who both supported joining the EU, but each had different visions for what EU membership meant for the country of Poland. Center-right parties generally saw the prospects of EU membership as an opportunity to encourage economic growth and promote a free market, while center-left parties were concerned with the individual and often hoped the EU would support and provide funding for more social welfare programs and basic services.
Why were they held?
o They were held to weaken the political rule of the Communist party and encourage the spread of Democracy by promoting the presence of the Solidarity party in political institutions.
Why were they important?
o They were important because they would begin the eventual collapse of the Communist party, and with the Solidarity party in power, help to create a system in which the upper chamber and senate are selected by the people through a popular vote, with no seats given to the communist party, and the system of direct election would eventually end up applying to the president, with set-aside seats eliminated.
Review historical circumstances leading to collapse of communism in Poland.
• Decline of communist economy in Poland • Pope John Paul II elected head of Catholic Church (Pope) 1979 • Birth of Solidarity movement in early 1980s • Gorbachev's speech to United Nations in 1988 • Reemergence of Solidarity in 1988.
