The European Union calls itself “a unique economic and political partnership between 27 democratic European countries” (1) which apparently aims to promote “peace, prosperity and freedom for its 495 million citizens – in a fairer, safer world” (1). While this may be a noble sentiment, in reality the EU is an inefficient, bureaucratic mess. It is my belief that, while the European Union is fundamentally a good idea, it is turning into an undemocratic kleptocracy that will gradually begin to remove our civil liberties while causing great damage to many areas including the environment and society.
One key issue is that the European Union is undeniably unnecessary, especially at the current cost to us. For example, countries under the separate (but linked) European Free Trade Association and Switzerland enjoy the same free trade and movement as EU member countries, without having to pay the tremendous costs. Another example of this is the company called EADS, which makes Airbus, Eurofighter and Eurocopter aircraft. EADS is indeed a brilliant, very profitable, European company that was formed from the merger of almost all aerospace companies within Europe, but it was formed without much help from the EU thus this, is another example that shows the expensive European Union is unnecessary and unhelpful.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU again shows the lack of necessity of the EU. The CAP was designed to make Europe self-sufficient for food after low agricultural productivity due to World War 2. By 1970, it had more than reached this goal, mainly through the highest agricultural subsidies in the world (2). These subsidies usually end up going to the biggest, richest farms, such as €58billion going to just 18% of farms e...
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... fruit' rules. BBC News. [Online] November 12, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7723808.stm.
7. Independent. June 30, 2004.
8. Ghiatis, Georgios. Budgetary control : 1996 discharge raises issue of confidence in the Commission. European Parliament Election. [Online] 1999. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/election/bilan/en/pf1901en.htm.
9. EU accounts failed for 13th year. BBC News. [Online] BBC, November 13, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7092102.stm.
10. Klaus, Václav. Conference of the Presidents of the European Parliament. December 5, 2008.
11. Q&A: The Lisbon Treaty. BBC News. [Online] BBC, November 24, 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6901353.stm.
12. Smyth, Patrick. This is no 'self-amending' treaty. The Irish Times. [Online] September 28, 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0928/1224255367818.html.
For many people in Britain, the EU remains an unwelcoming aspect of their lives, this reflects on a dislike to ‘all things European.’ Mannin states “The European Union (EU) is a unique partnership in which countries work closely together for the benefit of all their citizens” (2010, p.343) People may believe that the UK is different to other countries and by joining the EU, Britain will lose its identity and by working closely with other countries, also its independence. The tabloid press have always seemingly had a highly negative view on the EU, The Sun reported that Labour had betrayed Britain; the article identifies weaknesses in the EU and claims Gordon Brown surrendered our country to Europe by shifting British power over. (2009)
Senior Nello, Susan. "The European Union: Economics, Policy and History - Susan Senior Nello - McGraw-Hill Education." The European Union: Economics, Policy and History - Susan Senior Nello - McGraw-Hill Education. McGraw - Hill, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
The European Union (EU), since the initial foundation in 1952 as the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and throughout periods of development, has been considered one of the most advanced forms of regional integration. It, based on numerous treaties and resolutions, has strived to promote values such as peace, cooperation or democracy, and in 2012 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for having “contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe” (Nobel Media AB, 2012). Despite its struggle for promoting democracy, the EU itself has long experienced scholarly criticisms that it suffers the democratic deficit, from which its democratic legitimacy is undermined by observable problems in political accountability and participation. As the importance of legitimacy in a democratically representative institution is hardly debatable, the criticism of whether and why the EU lacks democracy has been given a considerable gravity in academia.
The European Union (EU) is fundamentally democratic and is evident through its institutions, however, the current democratic electoral structure is of great concern. The EU is a new type of political system, often referred to as a sui generis, implying its uniqueness as there exists and a non comparable political body. The EU can neither regarded as a ‘state’ nor as an ‘international institution’ as it combines supranational as well as intergovernmental characteristics (Hix, 1999, p7). In this regard it has developed its own understandings of what democracy is. It is evident that the development of and spread of democracy is a central concept and foundation to all politics within the EU, and remains focuses on makings its governing institutions “more transparent and democracy”. The recent Eurozone crisis, it’s associated anti-crisis measures and the recent enlargement of EU have however re-invigorated debate about the EUs democratic legitimacy. At the heart of the debate are discussions not about whether the EU is an all-encompassing democratic institution but rather what are ‘democratic deficits’ or the democratic shortcomings that exist within this powerful economic and political union. Underpinning these divisions as Schmitter argues, are different understandings of what democracy is in the modern context and more specifically in the unique context of the EU. This essay will argue that the EU presents a unique type of political system that is fundamentally democratic, however, there are democratic shortcomings within its procedural and institutional structure.
The European Union as an established governing body is an essential example of this concept which must be reviewed as the establi...
One of the original European institutions is the Commission. Though it was one of the originals, the institution has tremendously changed from what it used to be when the European integration first began. The Commission is a supranational body responsible for legislation proposals and policy implementation. It continues to work toward a more democratic European Union every day with the new legislations and laws that it passes. In this paper I will establish why I believe the EU Commission to be a supranational body, it’s relevance to the European Union and some of the strengths and weaknesses of the institution for the citizens of the European Union.
One of the most controversial debates in the history of European Union (EU) is if there is a democratic deficit in the EU. On the one hand, many scholars argued that the democratic deficit exists in the EU. On the other hand, there are other scholars who claimed that there is not a democratic deficit in the EU. In this essay, the writer will support the argument that the democratic deficit in the EU exists and will propose how this deficit can be reduced. In the first part of this paper the arguments, which support the existence of the democratic deficit, will be discussed. After that, this essay will present the claims that there is no democratic deficit in the EU. Finally, as the argument of this essay is that there is a democratic deficit in the EU, is to present some ways, which can reduce the democratic deficit in the EU.
With the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, and the installation of Herman van Rompuy and Baroness Catherine Ashton, Europe has made another step towards change. Change it desperately needs in order to be able to compete with uprising powers such as China and India. Nonetheless, as we have come to know about Europe, the step taken today is a step too small, and a step taken too slow.
Although the European Union consists of a large variety of institutions, the most important institution is the European Commission. Established in 1958 and based in Luxemburg and Brussels, this hybrid institution (executive and bureaucratic) “epitomizes supranationalism and lies at the center of the EU political system” (Dinan, 2010, p. 171). It has a substantial bulk of responsibilities and carries out these responsibilities with a vast number of constituents, acting as the executive for the EU. These responsibilities include anything from drafting and initiating policy to managing the financial framework of the EU, and can have a large impact on the other institutions of the EU. In order to “promote the general interests of the Union,” the Commission strives to unify the interests of the member states and is continually working for implementation and harmonization of EU law (Dinan, 2010, p. 191).
Eurozone crisis can be seen as the most important economic problem of the European Union in the history. Because of that crisis the currency union have faced the possibility of separation which is an extremely critical issue not only economically but also politically. Until the subprime crisis which became prominent by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in 2008, the economic level of the EU members were similar. When the bankruptcy occurred those countries started to differentiate in a very significant way. Total government debt and also problems of banking sector lead many countries to negative GDP growth, high unemployment rates and more importantly social unrest.
Lelieveldt, H. and Princen, S. 2011The politics of the European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Senior, Nello Susan. "Chapters:4,15." The European Union: Economics, Policies and History. London: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Europe has a history of war and conflict that predates living memory and the idea of a united Europe is something that appears repeatedly in that history. Hitler, Napoleon, and the many Roman Emperors all sought a united Europe. Their quests although in many ways motivated by a horrifying desire for power sparked the minds of philosophers and other political thinkers to imagine Europe united in harmony and peace despite national differences. Today we have the European Union which is quite unique. After the horrors, bloodshed, and economic disaster of the twentieth century, in a desire for peace and harmony and economic and political prosperity twenty-seven states have limited their national sovereignty.2 With national interests and ambition still in mind these countries see the European Union and supranational governance and the benefits of peace and prosperity therein as something worthwhile. However, in the history of European integration there has been much conflict and Euroskepticism. Some see unity in diversity and diversity in unity as impossible, and the existence of differentiation in the EU as highly problematic. However, differentiation in the European Union’s integration process is not the hindrance it is often defined as, rather it creates further cooperation in Europe bringing the European Union closer to its objectives of peace, and economic and political growth, resulting in a more effective and efficient bureaucracy. Differentiation in the EU’s integration process has created more successful integration as it allows the nations who wish t...
John Coakley & Michael Gallagher (2010) Politics in the Republic of Ireland, 5th edn., Abingdon, Oxon: PSAI Press.
Because it could be quite complicated to look at the EU model from a point of classical democratic nation-state, it seems to be reasonable to discuss this problem, not by abstract reasoning, but by focusing on a concrete case. European Union is the best case available, which in recent decades has developed into a new type of political system with enormous consequences on democracy and governance in its member states. Despite repeated attempts for major institutional reforms, this system is likely to persist in its basic structures for the future and is unlikely to develop into a federal state or to disintegrate into a classic international organization. The present state of democracy and governance in the EU is therefore worth to be analyzed, as it is not a mere transitory state.