EUROPEAN UNION

Try to define what the EU

is:
an economic and political
union or confederation of
___
28 member states which
are located primarily in
Europe

What is the main purpose of the

EU?

To increase economic
integration and
strengthen cooperation
among its members

Motto of the EU:

UNITED IN DIVERSITY

How do you understand the motto?

What do you think it means?

According to the European Commission:

The motto means that, via the EU, Europeans

are united in working together for peace and
prosperity, and that the many different
cultures, traditions and languages in Europe
are a positive asset /pnos/ for the continent.

Symbols of the EU:

Anthem
Flag

The Anthem
Is based on the final movement of the
Ninth Symphony
It was completed in 1824 and was known
as Ode to Joy
Who is the author of the symphony?
A) Richard Wagner
B) Ludwig Van Beethoven
C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_t3Qs9WFx4&
feature=related

The flag of EU
What do the 12 golden five-pointed stars
represent?
What does the blue background
represent?
Do the stars vary according to the
member states?

 the number of stars represents

completeness while their position in
a circle represents unity
The blue background represents the
west
The stars do not vary according to the
members as they are intended to
represent all the peoples of Europe

Can you name all the EU

member states? (map:
enlargement up to 2007)

Member states:

What are the names of the six

largest countries?

France (founder)
Germany (founder)
Spain (1986)
Finland (1995)
Sweden (1995)
Poland (2004)

When did the Czech republic

join the EU? Which other
countries joined the EU in the
same year?

2004
Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Last enlargement - ???
2013 Croatia

Present candidates???
Turkey
Macedonia
Montenegro
Serbia
Albania

EU MEMBERSHIP
A new member state has to meet certain rules
called the COPENHAGEN CRITERIA
A must:
a European state
Democratic government
Functioning market economy
Guaranteeing human rights

EURO
Is the monetary unit of the EU
It went into circulation on 1st January
2002
Which of the following countries is NOT a
member of the Eurozone?
A) Sweden
B) Italy
C) Slovenia

Nowadays it is the official currency

in 19 of the EU member states
=>

Eurozone

EURO has also been accepted by some

non-EU member states on the basis of
bilateral monetary agreement
Do you know their names?
Vatican City
San Marino
Monaco
Andorra

EUROZONE
However, Euro has also been
adopted by countries which have no
agreement with the European
Central Bank unilateral adopters

Kosovo
Montenegro

Europe Day
9th May
Celebrated as the EUs birthday

Why?
French Foreign Minister Robert
Schuman first put forward the idea
of the European Union (May, 9,
1950)

STRUCTURE OF THE EU
The European Council
Council of the EU (Council of
Ministers)
European Commission
European Parliament
Court of Justice

The European Council

28 heads of states + President of
European council and President of
European Commission
Political leadership main political
decisions
Defines priorities of the EU
Meets 4 times a year
Todays president of the European
Council:
Donald Tusk (since
December 2014)

Donald Tusk President of the

European Council

The Council of the EU (Council

of Ministers)
28 ministers (1 minister per a member state)
Legislative authority (together with the
European Parliament)
Day to day decision making
Rotating presidency between member states
(6 months)
Which state is presiding now???
Netherlands (January June 2016)
followed by Slovakia (July December
2016)

The European
Commission
28 members (1 commissioner per a state /
5-year term)
Executive organ
Only proposes legislation (must pass in
the Council of Ministers and the European
Parliament!) then implements decisions
Present President???
Jean-Claude Juncker
(since November 2014)

The European Parliament

751 members (MPs)
Directly elected = they
represent European citizens
Legislative function
(together with the Council of
Ministers)

Court of Justice
Consists of 3 courts
The main court:
European Court of Justice
- 27 judges (appointed by the
governments of the member states)
Who can go to the court???
EU member states
EU institutions
Firms
Individuals (EU citizens)

Brief history of the EU

EU based on a series of treaties:
1951 European Coal and Steel
Community (Treaty of Paris)
1957 European Economic Community
(later European Community- EC) and
European Atomic Energy Community
(EURATOM) established by the two Treaties
of Rome
1967 - Merger Treaty institutional changes
in the 3 communities
EU formally established in 1993 by the
Treaty on the European Union, commonly
called Maastricht Treaty (signed in 1992)

Another treaties since

1993
1999 Treaty of Amsterdam (absorbed
the Schengen rules into the EU law)
Can you define what a Schengen area is???
Based on Schengen Agreement (1985)
Comprises territories of 26 European
countries
operates like a single state with border
controls for those travelling in and out of
the area, but with no internal border
controls

Another treaties since

1993
2003 Treaty of Nice
2009 - Treaty of Lisbon