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Reddit mentions of Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction (The European Union Series)
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Specs:
| Height | 9.11 Inches |
| Length | 6.45 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | April 2017 |
| Weight | 0.92814612302 Pounds |
| Width | 0.5901563 Inches |
Learning about the EU is a very complicated topic, and it really depends on what topic areas you want to learn about and how far you're willing to go. It's a very complicated mess of exceptions.
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A Brief History
The project of European integration started in 1951 with the Treaty of Paris, setting up the European Coal & Steel Community. Basically, it was intended to put issues relating to the production of coal and steel under a supranational authority (High Authority) and make it so France and Germany were so integrated in this field that going to war would be virtually impossible, whether they wanted to or not. It set up a High Authority, a Common Assembly, a Court of Justice and a Council of Ministers.
In 1957, the 6 founding countries (France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) then set up the European Economic Community (the single market) & the European Atomic Energy Communities via the Treaties of Rome which were supposed to create a single market by integrating the countries economically and the handling of atomic energy specifically. These shared the Common Assembly and court of the ECSC, but not the Commission and Council (there were 3 separate Commissions and Councils for each "community").
In 1965, the 6 countries agreed to merge the 3 separate communities into 1 via the Merger Treaty. The 3 communities were still legally separate, but they had the same Commission and Council overseeing them. This was the birth of the "European Communities".
In 1970, the Treaty of Luxembourg gave the Parliament its first real powers over budgetary matters. The Parliament could reject so-called "non-compulsory" spending.
In 1973, the first Community enlargement took place, when Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland joined. In 1981, Greece then joined. The 3rd expansion then followed in 1986, when Portugal and Spain joined.
In 1975, the Treaty of Brussels gave the Parliament the power to reject the budget as a whole for the first time, and set up the European Court of Auditors (which audits the EU budget yearly).
In 1979, the first elections to the European Parliament took place, which the Treaty of Rome had provided for. They have been held every 5 years since then (the next election is in 2019).
In 1986, the Single European Act was signed, with a primary aim of completing the "Single Market" by 1993. It gave the European Parliament more power by making enlargement and association agreements require EP consent to come into force, and it gave the EP minor power on some proposed laws via the "cooperation" procedure, though the Council could overrule the Parliament.
In 1990, the Schengen Agreement abolished internal border controls between Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany, though this wasn't part of the EU legal framework at the time.
In 1992, the Maastrict Treaty was signed, which established the "European Union" as it's now known, giving the EU more powers in certain areas, and it led to the process that created the euro. It also expanded the Parliament's power. The "co-decision" procedure was introduced to some areas, meaning the Council and Parliament now legislated on an equal footing for those areas and laws required the approval of both to come into effect.
In 1995, the EU was enlarged again, when Finland, Austria and Sweden joined, bringing the EU up to 15 members.
In 1998, the Amsterdam Treaty was signed, which expanded the "co-decision" procedure to more laws. It also brought the Schengen Agreement under the EU framework.
In 2002, the Nice Treaty was then signed, with a view of reforming the internal structures of the EU so it would be ready for a large expansion just a few years later. This again extended the EP's powers.
In 2004, the EU had its largest expansion yet, adding 10 members (Cyprus, Malta, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia).
In 2005, the Constitution for Europe was rejected by referendums in France and the Netherlands. It was supposed to incorporate all Treaties into 1 Constitution and gave the EU more powers.
In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU, making it the EU27. The Lisbon Treaty was also signed that year, which formed the EU as a separate legal personality and expanded the EU's powers even more. It also expanded the Parliament's power, giving it "co-decision" (now known as the 'ordinary legislative procedure) over most laws, and EP consent was required for virtually all international agreements.
In 2013, Croatia joined the Union, bringing the EU up to its current 28 member states.
In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union by 52-48, which it is currently in the process of doing.
In 2017, 60 years after the Treaties of Rome were signed, the current Commission started a debate on the Future of Europe, which is still ongoing and is expected to go on until 2019, right after the UK leaves the EU and right before the 2019 Parliament elections.
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The Institutions
The European Commission is the closest to an executive of the institutions. It is made up of 28 Commissioners, one from each member state, and is supposed to represent the overall interests of the EU. It proposes almost all laws, and it monitors the application of law in the EU to make sure it's all being followed.
The European Council is the body where heads of state/government (e.g. Merkel, Macron) meet at least 4 times a year to tackle the most politically difficult questions. It sets the overall political direction of the EU, but it's not a body that decides on legislation.
The Council of the EU (Council of Ministers) is comprised of government ministers from the 28 member states, split into 10 different configarations. Justice ministers will meet in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, for example, while foreign ministers meet in the Foreign Affairs Council. It represents the views of the governments, and it decides on EU legislation and the EU's foreign policy.
The European Parliament is directly elected every 5 years by the voters of Europe, and it supposed to represent them. It decides on most, but not all, EU legislation. It has committees and plenary sessions.
The European Central Bank is where the monetary policy of the Eurozone is conducted, among other things, with its primary aim being price stability in the Eurozone (inflation rate close to but below 2%).
The Court of Justice of the EU obviously rules on disputes between institutions and member states, as well as whether certain EU laws are compatible with the Treaties. National courts also can ask the CJEU to intepret EU law when it affects a national case.
Finally, the European Court of Auditors is the body that audits the EU's spending each year and makes sure it's spent correctly/not wasted. It works with the European Parliament to scrutinise the Commission here.
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How the Parliament "Works" (Basically)
Direct election are held every 5 years in each member state. There is a cap of 751 MEPs, with member states having at least 6 (e.g. Malta) and no more than 96 (e.g. Germany). Elections to the Parliament have to use some form of proportional system.
National parties affiliate themselves to European parties. For example, Angela Merkel's CDU is part of the European People's Party, which then form groups at the European level (the EPP Group in the European Parliament, for example).
The current composition of Parliament is:
For the vast majority of EU laws, the "ordianry legislative proceedure" is followed. This means that both the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament co-legisislate on an equal basis, after a proposal from the Commission. They both have to agree on a text for a law to come into force, and both can reject said proposals should they so wish. For more info, check here.
Other EP powers include:
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For More Detail
The New European Union series are quite good generally, but a lot are tailored for those doing study at University rather than for more 'casual' reading.
If you're confused about anything, want any more detail, feel free to ask!