EU 101

EU101:

What is the EU?

The European Union is an economic and political organization that was created after World War II, the primary aim of which was to encourage economic cooperation between six countries - Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - so that they are more likely to avoid any conflict. Now the EU includes 27 countries (with the United Kingdom leaving the Union in 2020) and is centered at a variety of policy areas, ranging from climate, health, security, environment to justice and migration. Fact 1: Established in 1958, the EU was initially named as European Economic Community. As the goals of the said union changed, so did the name of it and became what we know it as today - The European Union - in 1993.

What are the core values and goals of the EU?

The EU strives to establish peace, stability, prosperity across its Member States. It has successfully implemented a standard currency that is used in 19 countries by 340 million citizens - euro. Moreover, countries within the EU do not have border control, meaning that the EU citizens can travel freely between Member States, study and work without bothering to obtain a visa. It is also essential that every EU citizen is treated as native in the country they choose to reside, especially in the matters of employment, taxation as well as social security. Core values underlying the EU include, but are not limited to, human dignity, freedom, and social security.

How does the EU work?

The EU has several institutions that operate to pass certain laws: The Council of European Union, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. ● The Council of the European Union

This institution is primarily responsible for negotiating and adopting laws, coordinating the regulations within the member States, developing foreign policies, and concluding agreements. Ministers of countries within the EU meet in Brussels to discuss policies, amend and adopt policies. The majority of meetings take place in Brussels, with some of them happening in Luxembourg. Fact 2: Please note that The Council of the European Union is different from the Council of Europe, which is not an EU body at all. ● European Parliament Next, we have the European Parliament, which is part of the legislative branch of the EU. The European Parliament has 705 Members of the European Parliament and these MEPs are elected for 5-year mandates by all eligible citizens.

The EP is divided into 7 large political groups, which are comparable to the parties you would see at a national level. MEPs are not organized by nationality but by political affiliation. The European People’s Party, The Party of European Socialists, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe are examples of these groups. The current president of the EP is Roberta Metsola.

The European Parliament works either in its big plenary or In its 20 standing committees such as LIBE, FEMM, AFET, and CRIM, just like the committees we have in EYP. The

European Parliament shares its legislative competencies with the Council of the European Union. ● European Commission Lastly we have the European Commission, which can be considered the executive power of the EU. The Commission is responsible for proposing and enforcing EU-wide laws and it alone is tasked with drafting up proposals for new EU legislation. It also implements the decisions of the European Parliament. The Commission is divided into different departments which deal with different policy areas. These departments are called Directorate-Generals and there are roughly 20,000 people working in these. After the particular Directorate-General drafts a law, the College of Commissioners then adopts them. One Commissioner is appointed by each Member State and one of these Commissioners is the President of the EC. The position is currently held by Ursula von der Leyen. It is important to mention that the Commission represents the EU in its foreign relations.