The Future of the European Union Essay

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.

Since 1950 European Union (EU) was created it has promoted peace, prosperity and values among the member nations and its neighbouring countries. EU’s influential tools, has helped transform many European states into functioning democracies and prosperous countries. EU’s membership has grown from 6 to 28 countries (Enlargement, 2014), satisfying a historic vow to integrate the continent bringing in most states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by peaceful ideals.EU has anticipated the enlargement as an extraordinary opportunity to endorse political strength and economic success in Europe. EU’s extension policy is open to any European state that fulfils the EU’s political and financial criteria for membership; still the political process of inclusion of new state requires a unanimous agreement from all the existing 28 member states. Europe is considered to be more flourishing and safer place due to the promotion of democracy, anti-corruption policy and the single market policy.

With regards to the claim that the European Parliament is too weak (the second of Weiler's standard version claims), Moravcsik (2002; 2003) emphasises the fact that during the last twenty years, the European Parliament is the institution which have experienced the most reforms, regarding its increase of powers, compare to the Council and the Commission. The latter argument is in fact accurate because ever since the Single European Act (1986), the European Parliament gains more and more power by reforms in every signed Treaty (Moravcsik, 2003, p. 7). Despite that, however, the Parliament is still considered to be weak compared to the other institutions, as it will be analysed later in the essay.

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

The European Union (EU) is fundamentally democratic and is evident through its institutions, however, the current democratic electoral structure is of great concern. The EU is a new type of political system, often referred to as a sui generis, implying its uniqueness as there exists and a non comparable political body. The EU can neither regarded as a ‘state’ nor as an ‘international institution’ as it combines supranational as well as intergovernmental characteristics (Hix, 1999, p7). In this regard it has developed its own understandings of what democracy is. It is evident that the development of and spread of democracy is a central concept and foundation to all politics within the EU, and remains focuses on makings its governing

Scholarly interests on the EU have not been confined to democratic issues disregarding its importance, as the unique and thus complicated institutional identity of the EU also induced major theoretical

This essay will summarize the Lisbon Treaty and the governmental and democratic consequences it will have on the EU decision making. It intends to state that Europe has the wish to change and actively tries to do so and partly succeeding, but failing to do so entirely. The treaty has been a victory for Europe over the euro skeptics, but unfortunately will not be able to push Europe much further to the place it

It will be argued in detailed throughout this essay the primary roles of the big four EU institutions and how they interact with each other. The known to us nowadays European Union rests its infrastructure on the concrete foundations of various institutions. Institutions that as European citizens we ought to be aware of and how exactly they operate and what their role and functions are.

In the midst of an influx of migrants and an ongoing Euro crisis, the disunity of the current European union has become apparent. The implementation of a “United States of Europe” - a partially federalized system with a popularly elected president - has been proposed. The alternative to this system is the potential abandonment of the Euro, and consequently European integration altogether. In contrast, some argue that deeper political and fiscal integration is impractical, and that the existence of a United States of Europe is not within the political reality of various European states. The European Union as it currently exists is a half-hearted attempt at integration; both arguments ultimately advocate change. The existence of a United States of Europe would result in a detrimental loss of state sovereignty and presents an insurmountable challenge of unification on political, societal, and cultural levels.

The claims that within the EU there is a democratic deficit, because there are extensive powers being accumulated by institutions that appear to lack a satisfactory level of legitimacy, are cogent. The question of is there a democratic deficit within the EU, despite having dominated many political debates since the 70s, is prominent in today 's society now more than ever as a result of the UKs decision to leave the union, consequently causing the world to develop an growing interest in the European Union and its qualities. Despite being a relatively common question, it is important to understand exactly what the EU is and what is meant by the term ‘democratic deficit’. The European Union was formed after World War 2 and stands today as a politico-economic Union made up of 28 countries who exercise their power over European institutions and operate as a single market for trade allowing for the free movement of goods, services, capital and people between member states. More so, the term democratic deficit in relation to the EU refers to the belief that not all European citizens are equally represented politically by the government responsible for doing so and questioning the legitimacy of those within the EU with power.

Discourse regarding the European Union and democracy, is often paradoxical. EU is, on one hand, often accused of being undemocratic. On the other hand, others praise EU for reinforcing democracy. Many argue that the EU is undemocratic, as national parliaments lose some power after joining the union (Zielonka, 2007). EU membership also complicates the structure of democratic decision-making. However, simplifying the process requires centralization of power, which is opposed by all members. A counterargument to this, however, is that all members voluntarily and enthusiastically joined, and the majority of citizens supported EU membership (Zimmermann et al. 2012).

Oxon: Routledge. 153-155.It is disputed that the divided sovereignty between national states throughout Europe actually decreases the efficiency of decision making as it can take over a year for a policy to be passed. ‘Transnational level’ is integration between ‘supernational’ and ‘national’ levels where officials of both institutions can discuss potential changes or new policies. This allows representatives of the national state to express their policies that are most accommodating to their specific country. Members of parliament can suggest policies but the implementation of these consequently relies on the best interests of the European Union. This therefore restricts the national state’s sovereignty and limits them potentially to what they wish to achieve individually as a country. Essentially it can be looked upon as a state being tied into multinational bonds that bring with it alternative objectives.

The thesis of this literature review is that Hix is correct in stating that one can understand the European Union more if they analyse why certain institutions behave in the way that they do and what their reasons are behind doing so.

The European Union (EU) was established in order to prevent the horrors of modern warfare, experienced by most of Europe during the World Wars of the 20th century, from ever ensuing again, by aiming to create an environment of trust with the countries of Europe cooperating in areas such as commerce, research and trade (Adams, 2001). The EU has evolved into an economic, trade, political and monetary alliance between twenty-eight European Member States. While not all Member States are in monetary union (i.e. share the currency of the euro), those that are form the ‘Euro-zone’ (Dinan, 2006). The EU can pass a number of types of legislation, with a regulation, act, or law, being the most powerful. Its ‘tricameral’ (European Union, 2007)

On the 9th August, 2005 at the Die Zeit summer school, Hamburg, Olli Ilmari Rehn who served as European Commissioner from 2004-2014 made a speech titled “The European Union as a Global Actor?” in which he stated, “ I strongly believe that the EU’s creation of a rules-based framework that is respected worldwide makes Europe a global actor.” From a realist or traditional perspective, states have been prioritised as the only significant global