The European Union And Foreign Policy

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 different countries. It consists of about half a billion citizens, and its combined economy represents about 20 percent of the world’s total economy (Briney, 2015). Today The European Union works as a single market, with free movement of people, goods and services from one country to another. There is a standard system of laws to be followed, and since 1999 many countries share a single currency called the Euro (Europa.eu, 2015). This essay will explore the background history of the European Union and the benefits and drawbacks of the European Union.

The European Union was initially set up as a means to terminate the conflict that occurred within Europe throughout the 20th century, culminating with the end of The Second World War (WWII) and The Cold War that followed. The EU ultimately aimed to bring the member countries together in order to form an ‘ever closer union’ between the countries of Europe, thus preventing a future battle. The Union started as the European Economic Community (EEC), which was established in 1957, and over the years endured numerous adjustments to form the politico-economic union that we know of today.

have to agree on one issue. There is also a financial cost of being a

The EU is a supranational organization and there can be a rather large division between the supranational interests of the whole EU and the individual member states of the EU. In the components of the EU national interest can play a big part. Many of the representatives of countries will often look after what is best for their individual country. Some of these representatives are supposed to look after the whole of the EU and

The council of ministers- This is the European Union’s main decision making body, it is composed of ministers from the National governments of each of the member states, and meets in Brussels or Luxembourg to agree legislation and policy.

Part of the exceptional nature of the EU stems from the notion that nothing like it has ever been attempted successfully before. The European Union is an international institution with a single market and shared currency. It strives to maintain singular goals and make its way towards being an “ever closer union”. Today, the European Union has expanded to include twenty-eight member countries with an influence that reaches every continent. This institution has had an impressive history, but it has reached a point of concern. The golden years which held high hopes of a united supranational Union are long over. The EU faces destructive problems today, which could ultimately end their impressive era of cooperation. The Union has come

Everything we do or decide is influenced by politics. In the UK, there are many different levels of Government that have an impact on our lives. One of these levels is the European Union. The three main EU Institution are the European Commission, which promotes the common interest and the current president of the European Commission is Jose Manuel Barroso; the European Council and the Council, which is the voice of the Members States and the current president of the European Council is Herman Van Rompuy; the European Parliament that although is not part of the UK levels of government, it has a significant impact on European Union citizens. The European Parliament, together with the Council, debates and passes European laws and adopts the EU’s budget. The European Parliament has 736 members who represents all 27 members’ states of the EU. Its main role is to delegate legislation on issues such as transport, environment, equal opportunities and movement of workers and goods. In conclusion, the European Parliament is the voice of the people. The president of the European Parliament is Martin Schutz.

When looking at the differences between the US and the EU, we can see that their world view and their approach to other nations are almost “fundamentally different” (Kagan, 6). The United States see political issues as simply black and white. They have a similar mind frame of the British Empire whom, similar to the US today, looked to gain more power and territory throughout the world. The EU views the world in shades of gray. One main reason for this is that the EU is made up of numerous nations that play a part in the Union. The EU has attempted to move away from being powerful and dominant but have instead decided to focus on international laws that can strengthen their

The European Union is based on the rule of law. The treaties are an agreement between EU countries and it sets objectives for the EU. To serve European communities, the purpose the European institutions which have been changed over the years and is always based on intergovernmental principles. Parliamentary Assembly; the voice of the citizens have the power of co-decision, the Courts of justice; the duty to ensure that the Community law is observed, the Council; comprises representatives of the member states, still has the most powerful role in legislative process by the procedure of majority voting, and the commission has major responsibilities for the implementation of Community law . EU countries sign the Treaty of Lisbon establishing a European Constitution.

The global politics in today’s world is characterized by the dominance of the United States and the European Union, and the rising power of China enabled by its rapid economic development. Since the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945, no conflict has occurred on a global level. Despite some regional warfare, the world after 1945 has provided many countries with a relatively stable environment for development. Various advancements in technology have flourished in this environment, such as the invention of the Internet and the increased accessibility of air travel. They substantially improved the lives of those who have access to them. However, problems abound in today’s world: global poverty, abuses of human rights, and terrorism,

National attitudes are currently the driving force behind European policy. Most European countries support the United States in the war on terror. However, countries are splintered in their views on the Middle East. Although Britain supports the United States in the war on Iraq, other countries oppose the views of the United States. The EU will continue to push toward a common foreign policy that will help align national differences and bring the member nations one step closer to complete integration (The Economist, 2002).

The European Union is the unique education which is taking place process of political formation. It can be considered as version of the answer to present calls as within united Europe there is an opportunity for the participating states to solve key problems of social and economic, political, cultural, ecological development and questions of internal and external security. In the XXI century, after semicentennial development of the European integration, EU I turned into one of the main and most developed centers of the modern world. The share of EU in a world gross product exceeds 20%, it is the share of it nearly a quarter of world trade. EU plays the leading role in rendering the technical and financial assistance to developing

People have created unions many times but not all of them were successful, specifically when we consider alliances among number of countries with different economics, political systems and culture. For instance, last century brought both the biggest collapse and the most promising union in the modern history. Although U.S.S.R has disappeared from geographical maps, some of its members joined another alliance. The European Union (EU) is an economic and political partnership that united 28 countries on the European part of Eurasia and represents a unique form of cooperation among members today.

The European Commission is the Executive (governmental) body of the EU, initiating legislative proposals and also managing the EU’s budget (Europa, 2007). Each commission operates for a five-year period, with meetings taking place in Brussels every Wednesday. The Commission consists of a President of the Commission and twenty-eight commissioners (some vice presidents). Employees of the Commission are organised according to department (Directorates-General) and answer to a Commissioner. The Commission exists in order to represent the interests of the whole of the EU (thus arguably the whole of Europe), as opposed to individual Member States. The Commission represents the EU on a global basis and is the main participant in negotiations in areas such as trade. The appointment of Commissioners is the responsibility of the Parliament, with all having previously assumed senior positions in politics in their own country, usually within its national government. Proposals are drafted by the senior civil servant (Director-General. A proposal may be adopted if more than half of the Commissioners decide to adopt it. Once agreed, all Commissioners must give their unconditional support – similar to the collective responsibility held by the Scottish executives and the UK. The Commission works closely with both

The European Union is a political community constituted as an international organization whose aim is to promote integration and a common government of the European people and countries. According to the Article 3 of the European Union Treaty, Union’s aim is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples. It is based on the values of freedom, democracy, equality, law enforcement and respect for human rights and dignity.