Maria Moreira 10ºA

What is the European Union (EU)?

• 28 Member States
• More than 500 million citizens
• Current candidates for EU membership: Albania, the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey
What are the EU's main principles?
• Common values: respect for human dignity, freedom,
democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights,
pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice,
solidarity (Article 2 TEU)
• Aim: to promote peace, the Union's values and the
well-being of its people (Article 3 TEU)
• 4 freedoms: free movement of people, goods,
services and capital
The key stages in the EU's history
The 1950s – the beginnings
Post-war reconstruction
• 1950: Schuman Declaration on 9 May
• 1951: foundation of the European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC)
6 Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Luxembourg and the Netherlands
• 1957: Rome Treaties – birth of the European
Economic Community (EEC) and Euratom
•The 1960s - laying the groundwork
1960: creation of the European Free Trade
Association (EFTA)
• 1962: launch of the Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP)
• 1968: abolition of custom duties
The 1970s
• 1973: 1st enlargement – Denmark, Ireland and the
United Kingdom join the EEC
 Europe now has 9 Member States
• 1979: 1st election of the European Parliament by
direct universal suffrage
The 1980s - consolidation
• Enlargement to Southern European countries:
Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986)
Europe now has 12 Member States
• 1986: The Single European Act modifying the
Treaty of Rome is signed
• 1990: after German reunification, the former East
Germany becomes part of EEC
The 1990s
• 1993: The Single European Market (Maastricht
Treaty) enters into force
• 1995: new enlargement - Austria, Finland and
Sweden join
Europe now has 15 Member States
First decade of the 21st century:
The biggest enlargement
• 1 January 2002: 12 countries introduce the euro
• 2004: enlargement to Central and Eastern European
countries - 10 new Member States join: Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
Europe now has 25 Member States
• 2007: Bulgaria and Romania join
Europe now has 27 Member States
• 2013: Croatia joins
Europe now has 28 Member States
The first decade of the 21st Century
• Need for institutional reforms
• 2005: European Constitution rejected in France and
the Netherlands
• 2007: Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and its entry
into force on 1 December 2009
What does the EU do for you?
A few examples
• Freedom to live, study and work in any Member
State
• Youth exchange programmes: Comenius, Leonardo
Da Vinci and Erasmus
• A single currency for 19 countries
• Environmental laws to combat global warming
• Equal opportunities
• Lower roaming charges
• And much more...
The European institutions
•
The European Parliament
Shares with the Council the power to legislate (to
pass laws)
• Monitors the budget of the EU (with the Council) and
supervises policies of the EU institutions
• Has 751 members elected by universal suffrage
• Elections every 5 years
• President: Martin Schulz
•
The European Council
Provides the EU with political guidance and defines
the political direction and priorities
• Consists of the heads of state or government of the
Member States, together with its president and the
president of the European Commission
• President: Donald Tusk
 The Council of the European
• Union
Co-legislates with the European Parliament (amends,
adopts or rejects the Commission’s legislative
proposals)
• Consists of ministers from the 28 Member States
chosen according to the agenda
• Rotating presidency: is chaired by a different Member
State every 6 months:
1 January – 30 June 2017: Malta
1 July – 31 December 2017: Estonia
The European Commission
• Proposes and implements laws (right of initiative,
"guardian" of the Treaties)
• 28 Commissioners (one from each Member State)
including the president: Jean-Claude Juncker and
several vice-presidents (one is the High
Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy)
Other EU institutions and bodies
• The Court of Justice of the European Union
• The European Central Bank
• The European Court of Auditors
• The European Economic and Social Committee
(EESC)
• The European Committee of the Regions
The European Economic
and Social Committee
What is the EESC?
• An advisory body set up by the Treaty of Rome
(1957)
• Represents organised civil society

European
European Parliament Council of the
Commission European
Union

European Economic and Social Committee

 What is organised civil society?
• People “on the ground” – represented by organisations of

Employers Workers Various Interests

(including farmers,
consumers, NGOs,
professions…)

• committed to defending their interests or convictions

(human rights, children's rights, the environment,
poverty, the fight against racism and discrimination...)
What is the role of the EESC?
• Through its consultative role vis-à-vis the European
Parliament, the Council and the European
Commission, the EESC has three main tasks:
• to ensure that EU policies reflect the true
economic, social and civic picture,
• to build a more participatory EU, closer to its
citizens, and
• to promote EU values and civil society
organisations globally.
A bridge between the EU and
organised civil society
• Brings civil society’s interests to the fore
• Enables civil society organisations from the
Member States to express their views at European
level
What is the structure of the EESC?
• It is an assembly of 350 members (appointed for 5
years) from the 28 Member States of the EU.
• The EESC has 1 president and 2 vice-presidents elected
every 2 and a half years.
• It represents economic and social interest groups:
employers, workers, various interests (NGOs,
farmers, youth, consumer protection, etc.).
• It has 6 sections and a Consultative Commission on
Industrial Change (CCMI).
• Its opinions are debated and adopted by simple
majority at its plenary sessions (+/-9 a year).
 How does the EESC work?
• The Committee can be consulted by the European
Parliament, the Council of the EU or the European
Commission. Its Opinion can be mandatory, own-
initiative or exploratory
• To issue opinions, the sections usually set up study
groups, each with a rapporteur
• Constructive debate in meetings to reach consensus
• A vote is taken in the section, then in the plenary session
• The final opinion is sent to the European institutions and
published in the Official Journal of the EU
Your Europe, Your Say!
 The theme of YEYS 2017 is:
60 years of the Rome Treaty

• Discussing what works and what does not in the EU

• Analysing the future challenges and opportunities
of the European Union
• Drawing up new proposals regarding the future of
the European Union
 Questions that could be raised at
YEYS 2017
• How do you evaluate the EU's main achievements so far?
• How do you visualise the Europe of tomorrow?
• What do young people want from the EU in the future?
• How can young people increase their influence on EU
decision-making?
• Do you discuss European issues with family and/or friends
and in at school?
• What are the biggest challenges facing the EU and what
are the opportunities for building a strong European
Union?
Questions that could be raised at
YEYS 2017
• How could the EU have handled the refugee crisis
better?
• In your view, what will be the consequences of
the United Kingdom leaving the European Union?
• What should be done to arrest the rise of
nationalism and xenophobia?
• What can the EU do to defend Europeans against
terrorist attacks?
• Does globalisation make the EU more or less
significant?
Working methods
• You will work in a group.
• The main findings of the working groups will then
be reported during the final plenary of YEYS and
will become part of the day’s documentation.
• Hopefully the initial steps taken during this event
will be followed up across Europe and inspire other
young people to take active responsibility!
Contacts
• For further information or any help please contact
us at:
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.eesc.europa.eu
• Your Europe, Your Say
• @youreurope
Welcome to Brussels!