History of European Union
European integration
* = Political, legal, economic integration within
Europe
* EI has a long history, many attempts to unify
Europe, usually by force or by dynastic unions
* Nowadays
­ peaceful integration
­ law is the instrument of integration
­ International organization are the basis for integration
* Most important: EC/EU and CoE, but also many
others on both East and West of Europe
Schuman declaration ­ foundation of
European Communities
* 9 May 1950 ­ Schuman declaration
* 18 April 1951 (23 July 1952) - the ECSC Treaty in
Paris
* ECSC :
­ common market in steel and coal,
­ jurisdiction has the High Authority, not MS
* European Defense Community and European
Political Community failed due to French no
* 25 March 1957 (1 January 1958) ­ the Treaties of
Rome (EEC and EURATOM)
"Inner six" and "outer seven"
* "inner six" = EC - Belgium, France, West
Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
* "outer seven" = EFTA - Austria, Denmark, Norway,
Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
* EEC ­ form of cooperation between EFTA and EC
* Difference between EC and EFTA (or any other
IO):
­ Scope of coop. ­ well, yeas, but in fact NOT really
­ Form of coop. ­ YES!
Intergovernmental vs. Supranational
coop.
* Supranationalism
= a method of decision-making in multi-national political
communities, wherein power is transferred to an authority
broader than governments of member states
­ rules can be made in the EC which have a direct impact on
the Member States and thereby also a direct effect on the
citizens of the Member States.
* Intergovernmentalism:
­ the traditional form of international cooperation between
counties
­ States are primary and supreme actors in the international
process
Further economic development of the
Communities
* FTA
* Customs Union
* Common market
* Internal Market
* Economic and monetary union
From common to single market
* In 80's the possibility of further integration
under the current Treaties was exhausted.
* 1985 ­ the Commission published the White
paper on the completion of the internal
market
* 1986 - Single European Act as the legislative
instrument for changes
­ Most important achievement ­ Art. 95 EC Treaty
From economic to political
cooperation
* 1993 - Maastricht Treaty came into force
*  the European Union as an economic and
political union has been established
* Union has 3 pillars:
­ Communities
­ foreign affairs
­ justice and internal affairs
­ Maastricht Treaty has changed the name of the
EEC - now EC
European Union ­ Further
Development
* European Union ­ a compromise solution
* 1997 - the Treaty of Amsterdam
* 2000 ­ the Treaty of Nice
* 2004 - the Treaty establishing a Constitution
for Europe
* 2007 ­ Lisbon Treaty
Geographic Enlargement of EC/EU
* Founded by Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg
and Netherlands.
* 1973 - Great Britain, together with Ireland and Denmark
* 1981 - Greece
* 1986 - Portugal with Spain
* 1995 - Austria, Finland and Sweden
* 2004 - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus
* 2007 - Bulgaria and Romania
* In future ­ may be Iceland, Croatia and some other Balkan
states, as well as Turkey
Accession criteria
* Political
* Economic and
* Legislative
Conclusion
* IO is currently the most suitable platform for integration. Being a member of an IO does not
deprive the state of its sovereignty;
* After WW2 a number of IO have been established in both Western and Eastern Europe. Their
objectives were usually economic and/or security;
* European Communities were initially 3, now two IO founded in order to achieve economic
and security objectives. Supranationality makes them unique;
* In addition to Communities in 1992/1993 the European Union was established. European
Union does not replace them. Communities remain part of the EU as its substantial part;
* EU is not (until the Lisbon Treaty comes into force) an IO. It is an entity based on a Treaty on
European Union;
* EU covers 3 pillars - Communities, common foreign and security policy and police and
judicial cooperation in criminal matters
* method of cooperation is different in each of the pillars. Supranationality applies only in the
first pillar whereas the others are intergovernmental;
* The Treaty of Amsterdam transferred some of the issues covered by the third pillar to the
first pillar of the EU;
* The Lisbon Treaty will cause that the EC is absorbed by the European Union. The pillar
structure will exist no more. This change will not affect EURATOM;