The European Union: Deepening Integration and Enlargement Challenges

Question 1
In 1950 the European Defense Community was proposed by René Pleven. Which were The main political goals of this new step in the European integration process? Why Did it fail? Which far-reaching consequences could be drawn from this unexpected Dead end?

The European Defense Community (EDC) was a plan proposed in 1950 by René Pleven,then the French Prime Minister, in response to the American call for the rearmament of West Germany. 

The intention was to form a Pan-European defense force as an alternative to Germany’s proposed accession to NATO, meant to harness its military potential in case of conflict with the Soviet bloc.

The EDC was to include West Germany, France, Italy, and the Benelux countries. A treatyrefused to ratify the Treaty.

The consequences were:

• Reinforcement of the economic sectorial integration

• Withdrawal of more politically engaged integration

• Revamping of WEU to manage German rearmament.

• Monnet’s personal disenchantment (he announced not to seek the reappointment as the President of the High Authority)

  Despite the failure of EDC, there existed a strong commitment to further integration. In 1955, in Messina meeting, the foreigner Ministers approved, as a Dutch document Had already proposed in 1952, to abolish quotas and tariffs within the Six, as well as to Introduce a CET.

  In 1957, with the treaty of Rome, the European Economic Community was established In pursue of a Common Market (including a customs union)
  .

  Question 2
  In 2004 the most ambitious enlargement wave took place. Could you please Contextualize this critical juncture in the EU integration process? Could you briefly Comment on the way that negotiations were conducted? Which were the most Transcendent benefits, challenges and perils for the resulting EU?

On 1 May 2004 ten new countries with a combined population of almost 75 million

joined the EU. The 25-

Member

This historic enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 members is the culmination of a long Accession process leading to the reunification of a Europe that had been divided for Half a century by the Iron Curtain and the Cold War. It is therefore worth briefly Reviewing the preparations for this fifth enlargement of the EU, and the challenges and prospects it brings with it.

To become part of the EU, the ten candidate countries had first and foremost to be recognized as European States (Article 49 of the EU Treaty) and secondly to comply With the principles of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental Freedoms, and the rule of law (Article 6 of the EU Treaty). They also had to fulfil the Economic and political conditions known as the Copenhagen criteria, according to which a candidate

• be a stable democracy, respect human rights and the rule of law and protect Minorities;

• have a working market economy;

• adopt the common rules, standards and policies which make up the body of

  EU law.

The Phare program is one of the three pre-accession instruments financed by the European Unionpreparations for joining the European Union.

1. Strengthen public administrations and institutions to function effectively inside the

European Union.

2. Promote convergence with the European Union’s extensive legislation (the Community acquis) and reduce the need for transition periods.

3. Promote Economic and Social Cohesion

• The Community acquit, sometimes called the EU acquis and often shortened to Acquis, is the accumulated legislation, legal acts, and court decisions which Constitute the body of European Union law. The term is French: acquis meaning “that which has been acquired or obtained”

• The Acquis Communautaire contained 3,000 directives and some 100,000 Pages in the Official Journal of the European Union to be transposed. It Demanded a lot of administrative work and immense economic change, and Raised major cultural problems – e.G. New legal concepts and language Consistency problems.

From 1998 the Commission published regular reports every year on the progress of each candidate country. The priorities for each candidate country and the specific Support this required were defined in the accession partnerships adopted in 1998 and Revised in 1999 and 2002. These documents were the basis for “screenings” (sector-by- Sector evaluation) to establish a “roadmap” for each candidate specifying the Legislation that needed to be adopted or amended to comply with the Community acquis.

The Copenhagen European Council of December 2002 found that 10 of the 13 Candidate countries (Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia) fulfilled the conditions necessary for joining the EU. They therefore signed their Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003 in Athens and Officially joined the EU on 1 May 2004 after the ratification procedures were completed.

Question 3
Could you please comment on this editorial cartoon? Which is the historical context? What is the cartoonist telling us? Present broad arguments, not limited to giving a Short-and-sweet answer.

On 25 February 1984, German cartoonist Walter Hanel paints an ironic picture of the Slow pace of the process for accession to the European Communities of Spain and Portugal, and illustrates the reservations of France, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the United Kingdom concerning the forthcoming enlargement. From left to Right: Felipe González, Spanish Prime Minister, wearing rags and carrying a basket of Fruit and vegetables, sits in driving rain with his Portuguese counterpart, the two Waiting to be granted access to the ‘House of Europe’, an austere, run-down building That looks to be falling into ruins. French President François Mitterrand, standing at the Entrance, indicates to the two candidates that they must wait, but the wait seems to Be going on forever. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his Foreign Minister Hans- Dietrich Genscher observe the scene discreetly, hidden behind a pillar, while Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister, follows events from the top of a tower adorned with The Union Jack.

Negotiations with Spain and Portugal proved difficult because several Member States Of the European Economic Community (EEC) felt that their economic interests were Directly threatened by certain products from Southern Europe. Against a general Background of economic recession, France and Italy, in particular, expressed serious Reservations about Spain’s accession because they feared that Spanish agricultural Produce would flood the European market, which was already threatened by its own Surplus production. In 1977, almost half of Spanish exports found an outlet in the European Common Market. The Nine also feared that Spanish and Portuguese Membership would increase the regional disparities within the Community. They were Also concerned that the free movement of workers would lead large numbers of Unemployed Spanish and Portuguese citizens to leave their own countries in search of Work in neighboring countries

Question 4
The EU historical evolution has been commonly looked through the lens of the Dichotomy “deepening versus widening”. If we explicitly focus on the former, what is To be understood by “deepening the integration process”? Can we maintain that this Has been a steady trend all along the road? Please provide a few examples.

Deepening could be defined as a “process of gradual and formal vertical Institutionalization”, means to strive to strengthen the links which bind member states Together.
Deepening concerns mostly member countries. Indeed, EU strives to expand its Borders, pushing members to revise and restore its institutions and implementations In accordance with these ones. This is one of the EU’s anxious which lead to oppose Against the enlargement. Many members do not want to flow of their financial Resources to candidates’ states.
Economic reasons have been the first point of the EU that to be achieved in order to Be an economic titan on the world stage. To open a new market freely, to be accepted Tariffs or to benefit common tariffs and custom allies, in sum to have closer economic Ties that bring opportunity of developing and growing more. At the same time, Deepening may bring flexible structure to the EU which can cope up with forces and Changes and may strengthen the links which members together. Strengthen the Structure of institutionalization will bring more effective and prestigious and stronger Outlook to the EU on the world stage.
Political reasons are another point that the EU views as an establishment of a peaceful Europe. Agreements and Treaties have brought the end of wars between European Countries. Therefore, it is so important step to promote stability and prosperity in Europe.
Also, deepening process of the EU will accomplish candidates to EU’s norms and values (Europeanization) that may decrease dangerous sides of diversity within the union. It Also includes member states to provide supply of labour force or flowing of young Population to old-age population of the EU. Finally, deepening of the EU may also Decrease nationalism between member states by promoting closer relations and may Give a sense of feeling of being unity.
However, this deepening process has not always been steady. Indeed, although the Process had begun efficiently, soon some plans and treaties failed and progress Appeared to have stalled. Member states appeared hesitant and unwilling to take Further steps to deepen the integration process.
It also started the intergovernmental and supranational debate between countries in Which its maximum exponent was Charles de Gaulle who created a PLAN focused on Security and defense. Therefore, the European Integration Process assumed that French Republic could not lose its importance within the plan.

All of this led to the Empty Chairs Crisis’ (1964 – 1965). One of the 6 members decided Not to go to the meetings and submits. If one member was missing, any decision could Be taken (unanimity). The missing member was France: the aim of France was to force

the rest of the members to follow its own ideas: a change from supranational to an Intergovernmental organization.

However, UE has been performing well within the context and has intended to has in Consideration each member state in order to create a strong Union.

Question 5
The Lisbon Treaty (2007) meant the solution for a dead-locked situation originated With the Convention on the Future of Europe (2001). Why was it established for? Which was its composition? Could you please comment on the chain of events that Led to the signature of the Treaty of Lisbon?

The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is an international agreement which amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon was signed by the EU member states on 13 December 2007, and entered into force on 1 December 2009.[2] It amends the Maastricht Treaty (1993), also known as the Treaty on European Union, and the Treaty of Rome (1958), also known as the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEEC).[3] The Treaty of Lisbon, renamed the Treaty of Rome to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

(Maastricht Treaty: Led to the creation of the euro, pillar structure of EU, Monetary and Economic Union.)

The European Council, which met in Lisbon on 18th and 19th October 2007 approved the new reform treaty so called “Lisbon Treaty”, which replaces the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. This new treaty introduces modifications both to the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty) and the Treaty establishing the European Community (Rome Treaty). 

The 27 Member States of the EU have ratified the Lisbon Treaty.

The Convention on the Future of Europe (officially the European Convention), was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration. Inspired by the Philadelphia Convention that led to the adoption of the United States federal Constitution, its purpose was to produce a draft constitution for the European Union for the Council to finalize and adopt. 

The Convention finished its work in July 2003 with their Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. See History of the European Constitution for developments after this point.

The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE), (commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty), was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union (EU). It would have replaced the existing European Union treaties with a single text, given legal force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and expanded Qualified Majority Voting into policy areas which had previously been decided by unanimity among member states.

The Constitution was signed in Rome on 29 October 2004. However, before entering into force it had to be ratified by all EU countries. The ratification process failed in several of them.

On 23 July 2007, a new intergovernmental conference was convened in Lisbon to find an alternative to the constitutional Treaty and to proceed with the reforms. The idea Of a European Constitution was therefore abandoned and further negotiations took place with the aim of drawing up an amending Treaty.

On 13 December 2007, the 27 EU Heads of State or Government signed the new amending Treaty in Lisbon. The Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009, after having been ratified by all EU countries in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.

AMMENDMENTS:

• As amended by the Treaty of Lisbon, the Treaty on European Union provides a Reference to the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, making that document Legally binding.

• The treaty has expanded the use of qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council of Ministers by having it replace unanimity as the standard voting Procedure in almost every policy area outside taxation and foreign policy.

• The European Central Bank gained the official status of being an EU institution, And the European Council was given the right to appoint presidents of the European Central Bank through qualified majority vote.

• The European Council officially gains the status of an EU institution,

According to the European Commission the Treaty of Lisbon had four key effects:

A more democratic and transparent Europe, with a strengthened role for the European Parliament and national parliaments, more opportunities for citizens to have their voices heard and a clearer sense of who does what at European and national level.

A more efficient Europe, with simplified working methods and voting rules, streamlined and modern institutions for a EU of 27 members and an improved ability to act in areas of major priority for today’s Union.

A Europe of rights and values, freedom, solidarity and security, promoting the Union’s values, introducing the Charter of Fundamental Rights into European primary law, providing for new solidarity mechanisms and ensuring better protection of European citizens.

Europe as an actor on the global stage will be achieved by bringing together Europe’s external policy tools, both when developing and deciding new policies. The Treaty of Lisbon gives Europe a clear voice in relations with its partners worldwide. It harnesses Europe’s economic, humanitarian, political and diplomatic strengths to promote European interests and values worldwide, while respecting the particular interests of the Member States in Foreign Affairs