page 1 european union. page 2 introduction the european union (eu) is an economic and political...

European Union

Introduction

• The European Union (EU) is an economic and political

union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe.

• It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht, which was

signed in February 1992 and came into force in

November 1993, on the foundations of the pre-existing

European Economic Community.

• With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined

generates an estimated 30% share of the world's nominal

gross world product.

Introduction

• The EU has developed a single market through a

standardised system of laws which apply in all member

states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people,

goods, services and capital.

• It maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and

fisheries policies, and a regional development policy.

• Sixteen member states have adopted a common

currency, the euro.

History of EU

• After the end of the Second World War, moves towards

European integration were seen by many as an escape

from the extreme forms of nationalism which had

devastated the continent.

• The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel

Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the

Treaty of Rome in 1957.

• The European Union was formally established when the

Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993.

Member states

• The European Union is composed of 27 independent

sovereign countries which are known as member states:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United

Kingdom.• Sovereign – suverénní, svrchovaný

Geography

• The EU's member states cover a combined area of

4,422,773 square kilometres.

• Its highest peak is Mont Blanc in the Graian Alps, 4807

metres above sea level.

• The landscape, climate, and economy of the EU are

influenced by its coastline, which is 69,342 kilometres

long.

• The EU has the world's second longest coastline, after

Canada.

Institutions

• The European Commission acts as the EU's executive

arm and is responsible for initiating legislation and the

day-to-day running of the EU.

• It is intended to act solely in the interest of the EU as a

whole, as opposed to the Council which consists of

leaders of member states who reflect national interests.

• The commission is also seen as the motor of European

integration. It is currently composed of 27 commissioners

for different areas of policy, one from each member state.• Solely – výhradně, pouze

• Oppose – oponovat, vzdorovat

Institutions

• The European Parliament forms one half of the EU's

legislature.

• The 785 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)

are directly elected by EU citizens every five years.

• Although MEPs are elected on a national basis, they sit

according to political groups rather than their nationality.

• Each country has a set number of seats.

Institutions

• The judicial branch of the EU consists of the European

Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Court of First Instance.

• Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law

of the EU.

• The Court of First Instance mainly deals with cases

taken by individuals and companies directly before the

EU's courts.

Agriculture

• The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one the oldest

policies of the European Community and was one of its

core aims.

• The policy has the objectives of increasing agricultural

production, providing certainty in food supplies, ensuring

a high quality of life for farmers, stabilising markets and

ensuring reasonable prices for consumers.

Infrastructure

• The EU is working to improve cross-border infrastructure

within the EU, for example through the Trans-European

Networks (TEN).

• In 2001 it was estimated that by 2010 the network would

cover: 75,200 kilometres (46,700 mi) of roads; 78,000

kilometres (48,000 mi) of railways; 330 airports; 270

maritime harbours; and 210 internal harbours.• Maritime - pobřežní

Regional development

• There are substantial economical disparities across the

EU.

• Even corrected for purchasing power, the difference

between the richest and poorest regions is about a factor

of ten.

• Several funds provide emergency aid, support for

candidate members to transform their country to conform

to the EU's standard.

Environment

• The first environmental policy of the European

Community was launched in 1972.

• Since then it has addressed issues such as acid rain, the

thinning of the ozone layer, air quality, noise pollution,

waste and water pollution.

• The REACH regulation was a piece of EU legislation

designed to ensure that 30,000 chemicals in daily use are

tested for their safety.

History of EU

• Education and science are areas where the EU's role is

limited to supporting national governments.

• In education, the policy was mainly developed in the

1980s in programmes supporting exchanges and

mobility.

• The most visible of these has been the ERASMUS

programme, a university exchange programme which

began in 1987.

Languages

• Among the many languages and dialects used in the EU,

it has 23 official and working languages: Bulgarian,

Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish,

French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Irish, Latvian,

Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian,

Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish.

• Important documents, such as legislation, are translated

into every official language. The European Parliament

provides translation into all languages for documents and

its plenary sessions.

Demographics

• The combined population of all 27 member states has

been estimated at 495,128,529 in January 2007, this in

comparison to approximately 710 million Europeans on

the continent as a whole.

• There is some increase in population expected, primarily

due to net immigration, present in most European

countries.

Demographics

• The EU's population is 7.3% of the world total, yet the EU

covers just 3% of the earth's land, amounting to a

population density of 114 /km2 making the EU one of the

most densely populated regions of the world.

• One third of EU citizens live in cities of over a million

people, rising to 80% living in urban areas generally.

The End

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