Workshop on the EU for SKILLS Programme Students. the waves of 2010 Aleppo and Raqqa/Syria.

1. The European Union
History, Institutions and Policy Making Process
Prepared by Muhamad SHABAREK
A.D. in European Studies
SKILLS Raqqa, 28/11/2011
1

2. What is the European Union
• The European Union is a unique economic and political
partnership between 27 European countries.
• It has delivered half a century of peace, stability, and
prosperity, helped raise living standards, launched a single
European currency, and is progressively building a single
Europe-wide market in which people, goods, services, and
capital move among Member States as freely as within one
country.
2

3. 500 Million People in 27 Countries
3

4. EU Symbols
• The European flag: The 12 stars in a circle symbolise the ideals
of unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe.
• The European anthem: The melody used to symbolise the EU
comes from the Ninth Symphony composed in 1823 by Ludwig
Van Beethoven.
• Europe Day: The ideas behind the European Union were first
put forward on 9 May 1950 by French foreign minister Robert
Schuman. This is why 9 May is celebrated as a key date for the
EU.
• The EU motto: "United in diversity" 4

5. Why the European Union
• The EU’s mission in the 21st century is to:
• maintain and build on the peace established between its
member states;
• bring European countries together in practical cooperation;
• ensure that European citizens can live in security;
• promote economic and social solidarity;
• preserve European identity and diversity in a globalised world;
• promulgate the values that Europeans share.
5

6. The Origins of the EU
• Making war unthinkable among Europeans
• Together managing main materials used in war:
coal and steel
6

7. • 9 May 1950: Schuman calls for a European Coal and
Steel Community
• 6 founding States decide to share and co-manage
coal and steel.
7

8. Founders
New ideas for lasting peace and prosperity…
Konrad Adenauer
Robert Schuman
Winston Churchill
Alcide De Gasperi
Jean Monnet
8

9. Ten Historic Steps
1951: The European Coal and Steel Community is set up by the six
founding members.
1957: The same six countries sign the Treaties of Rome, setting up the
European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic
Energy Community (Euratom).
1973: The Communities expand to nine member states and introduce
more common policies.
1979: The first direct elections to the European Parliament.
1981: The first Mediterranean enlargement.
1992: The European single market becomes a reality.
1993: The Treaty of Maastricht establishes the European Union (EU).
2002: The euro comes into circulation.
2007: The EU has 27 member states.
2009: The Lisbon Treaty comes into force, changing the way the EU
works.
9

10. The treaties – basis for democratic
cooperation built on law
1952
The European Steel and Coal Community
1958
The treaties of Rome:
The European Economic Community
The European Atomic Energy
Community (EURATOM)
1987
The European Single
Act: the Single Market
1993
Treaty of European Union
– Maastricht
1999
Treaty of Amsterdam
2003
Treaty of Nice
2009
Treaty of Lisbon
10

11. 11

12. 3 Pillars (levels of competences)
12

13. Enlargement:
from six to 27 countries
1952 1973 1981 1986
1990 1995 2004 2007
Candidates
Croatia, Iceland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Montenegro, Turkey
13

14. Membership Conditions
(a) Legal requirements
(b) The ‘Copenhagen criteria’
In 1993, following requests from the former communist
countries to join the Union, the European Council laid down
three criteria they should fulfill so as to become members. By
the time they join, new members must have:
1. stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of
law, human rights and respect for and protection of
minorities;
2. a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with
competitive pressure and market forces within the Union;
3. the ability to take on the obligations of
membership, including support for the aims of the Union.
They must have a public administration capable of applying
and managing EU laws in practice.
14

15. Neighbourhood policy
Enlargements in 2004 and 2007 pushed the European Union’s borders further east and south, raising
the question of how the EU should handle relations with its new neighbours. Stability and security
are an issue in the regions beyond its borders, and the European Union wished to avoid the
emergence of new dividing lines between itself and these neighbouring regions. For example, action
was needed to tackle emerging threats to security such as illegal immigration, the disruption of
energy supplies, environmental degradation, organised cross-border crime and terrorism. So the EU
developed a new European neighbourhood policy (ENP), governing relations with its neighbours to
the east (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), and to the south (Algeria,
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria and Tunisia).
Almost all these countries have bilateral ‘partnership and cooperation’ agreements or association
agreements with the EU, under which they are committed to common values (such as democracy,
human rights and the rule of law) and to making progress towards a market economy, sustainable
development and reducing poverty. The EU, for its part, offers financial, technical and
macroeconomic assistance, easier access to visas and a range of measures to help these countries
develop.
Since 1995, the southern Mediterranean countries have been linked to the European Union through
political, economic and diplomatic ties known as the ‘Barcelona process’, later re-named the Euro-
Mediterranean Partnership. At a summit meeting in Paris in July 2008, this partnership was
relaunched as the Union for the Mediterranean, bringing together the 27 member states of the
European Union and 16 partner countries across the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The EU’s fi nancial assistance to both groups of countries is managed by the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). Its overall budget for 2007-13 is approximately €
12 billion.
15

16. 2011 EU budget: €141.9 billion
= 1.13% of gross national income
Citizens, freedom,
security and justice
1%
Other, administration
6%
Sustainable growth:
jobs, competitiveness, regional development
46%
The EU as a global player:
including development aid
6%
Natural resources:
agriculture,
environment
41%
How does the EU spend its
money?

17. Solidarity in practice: the EU
cohesion policy
2007-2013: €347 billion invested for infrastructure, business, environment and training of workers
for less
well-off regions or citizens
4 Regional fund
4 Social fund
4 Cohesion fund
Convergence objective: regions with
GDP per capita under 75% of the EU
average. 81.5% of the funds are
spent on this objective.
Regional competitiveness and
employment objective.
17

18. The euro – a single currency
for Europeans
EU countries using the euro
EU countries not using the euro
Can be used everywhere in the euro area
4Coins: one side with national symbols,
one side common
4Notes: no national side
18

19. The single market:
freedom of choice
Four freedoms of movement:
4 goods
4 services
4 people
4 capital
©GettyImages
The single market has led to:
 significant reductions in the price of many
products and services, including internet
access and airfares.
 40% drop in price of phone calls from
2000-2006
 2.8 million new jobs
19

20. Free to move
Schengen Area
“Schengen”:
4 No police or customs checks at borders
between most EU countries
4 Controls strengthened at EU external
borders
4 More cooperation between police from
different EU countries
4 You can buy and bring back any goods for
personal use when you travel between EU
countries
©Corbis
20

21. 21

22. The EU – a major trading power
Share of world trade
in goods (2007)
Share of world trade
in services (2007)
Others
53.2%
EU
17%
United States
14.5%
Japan
5.8%
China
9.5%
Others
40.6%
EU
28.5%
United States
18.2%
Japan
6.8%
China
5.9%
Global Trade Player
22

23. The EU is the biggest provider of
development aid in the world
Official development assistance per citizen, 2007
93€
44€
53€
EU Japan United States
The EU provides 60% of all development aid

24. Three key players
The European Parliament
- voice of the people
Jerzy Buzek, President of
of the European Parliament
The council of Ministers
- voice of the Member States
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
The European Commission
- promoting the common interest
José Manuel Barroso, President
of the European Commission
24

25. The EU institutions
• European
Parliament
Court of
Justice
Court of
Auditors
Economic and Social Committee Committee of the Regions
Council of Ministers
(Council of the EU)
European Commission
European Investment Bank European Central BankAgencies
European Council
(summit)
25

26. How decisions are made?
26
Citizens, interest groups, experts: discuss, consult
Commission: makes formal proposal
Parliament and Council of Ministers: decide jointly
Commission and Court of Justice: monitor implementation
National or local authorities: implement

27. The European Parliament –
voice of the people
4 Decides EU laws and budget together with Council of Ministers
4 Democratic supervision of all the EU’s work
Number of members elected in each country (January 2010)
27

28. The European political parties
Greens/European Free Alliance
55
European Conservatives
and Reformists
54
Alliance of Liberals and
Democrats for Europe
84
European People’s Party
(Christian Democrats)
265
Non-attached
members 27
Total : 736
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and
Democrats
184
European United
Left - Nordic Green Left
35
Europe of Freedom
and Democracy
32
Number of seats in the European Parliament
per political group
(January 2010)

29. Council of Ministers – voice of
the member states
4One minister from each EU country
4Presidency: rotates every six months
4Decides EU laws and budget together
with Parliament
4Manages the common foreign and
security policy
29

30. Council of Ministers – number
of votes per country
Total:
Malta
Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia
Denmark, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovakia and Finland
Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
Netherlands
Romania
Spain and Poland
Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom
“Qualified majority” needed for many decisions:
255 votes and a majority of member states
From 2014: 55% of the Member States with 65% of the population
345
3
4
7
10
12
13
14
27
29
30

31. Summit at the European
Council
Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries
4Held at least 4 times a year
4Sets the overall guidelines for EU policies
4President: Herman Van Rompuy
31

32. Next presidencies
• Hungary January-June 2011
• Poland July-December 2011
• Denmark January-June 2012
• Cyprus July-December 2012
• Ireland January-June 2013
• Lithuania July-December 2013
• Greece January-June 2014
• Italy July-December 2014
• Latvia January-June 2015
• Luxembourg July-December 2015
32

33. A high representative for foreign affairs and security
Catherine Ashton
Double hat: chairs the Foreign Affairs
Council meetings + Vice-president of
the European Commission
Manages the common foreign and
security policy
Head of European External Action
Service
33

34. The European Commission –
promotingthe common interest
27 independent members,
one from each EU country
4Proposes new legislation
4Executive organ
4Guardian of the treaties
4Represents the EU on the international stage
34

35. 27 independent judges,
one from each EU country
4Rules on how to interpret EU law
4Ensures EU countries apply EU laws in the
same way
The Court of Justice –
upholding the law
35

36. The European Court of Auditors:
getting value for your money
27 independent members
4Checks that EU funds are used
properly
4Can audit any person or
organisation dealing with EU
funds
36

37. 4Ensures price stability
4Controls money supply and decides interest
rates
4Works independently from governments
Mario Draghi
President of the Central Bank
The European Central Bank:
managing the euro
37

38. The European Economic and Social Committee:
voice of civil society
344 members
4Represents trade unions,
employers,
farmers, consumers etc
4Advises on new EU laws and
policies
4Promotes the involvement of
civil society in EU matters
38

39. The Committee of the Regions:
voice of local government
344 members
4Represents cities, regions
4Advises on new EU laws and
policies
4Promotes the involvement of
local government in EU matters
39

40. Drafting EU law
• Before the Commission proposes new initiatives it assesses the
potential economic, social and environmental consequences that
they may have. It does this by preparing 'Impact assessments' which
set out the advantages and disadvantages of possible policy options.
• The Commission also consults interested parties such as non-
governmental organisations, local authorities and representatives of
industry and civil society. Groups of experts give advice on technical
issues. In this way, the Commission ensures that legislative proposals
correspond to the needs of those most concerned and avoids
unnecessary red tape.
• Citizens, businesses and organisations can participate in the
consultation procedure via the website Public consultations.
40

41. 41

42. Civil servants working for the EU
4Permanent civil servants
4Selected by open competitions
4Come from all EU countries
4Salaries decided by law
4EU administration costs €15 per EU citizen per year
Commission employs about 23 000 permanent
civil servants and 11 000 temporary or contract
workers
Other EU institutions: about 10 000 employed
42

43. EU-Syria Cooperation
• Syria is a signatory of the 1995 Barcelona Declaration and a member
of the Union for the Mediterranean launched in 2008. Syria is also a
member of the European Neighbourhood Policy , but does not yet
benefit from all its instruments and incentives, pending entry into
force of the EU-Syria Association Agreement .
• The EU is Syria's main trade partner. Total trade represented more
than €7 billion in 2008. The EU-Syrian trade balance remains positive
for Syria. However, the non-oil products trade balance is in favour of
the EU. In 2008, Syrian exports to the EU were dominated by crude
oil and petroleum products (86%) followed by minerals (5%).
Imports from the EU consisted mainly of machinery and transport
equipment (35%) followed by petroleum products (20%), chemicals
(13%) and manufactured goods (12%).
• Until an EU-Syria Association Agreement is signed, the relations between the parties
remain governed by a Cooperation Agreement signed in 1977.
43

44. 44
EU-Syria Cooperation is guided by the aim to consolidate Syria's reform efforts.
Supporting a mix of political, social and economic reforms, the EU works on the basis
of Syria’s own reform agenda “the Five Year Plan”. The EU's cooperation strategy with
Syria is based on two programming documents that define shared objectives and
identify joint cooperation projects.
1. The Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Syria sets out the strategic framework for
EU-Syria cooperation for the period 2007-2013. It identifies three priority areas
for action:
1. Support for political and administrative reform , including modernisation of
administration, decentralisation, rule of law and respect for fundamental human
rights;
2. Support for economic reform , including implementation of the Five-Year Plan,
preparation for the currently initialled Association Agreement and preparation
for accession to the World Trade Organisation;
3. Support for social reform , including human resources development and
measures to accompany the economic transition process.
The EU has allocated a total of € 129 million for the period 2011-2013.
2. The National Indicative Programme (NIP) 2011-2013 outlines priority actions in
these fields, as well as their budget and sequencing. The NIP is the product of
an intensive consultation process with Syrian authorities, Member States, other
donors and non-state actors, as well as of lessons learned from past
cooperation.