EUROPEAN UNION

WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN UNION? The European Union is an intergovernmental organisation and, at the moment, 27 countries are part of it. Institutional languages: French, English, German. It has its own flag, currency (shared by 19 countries), law-making abilities, diplomatic representation and common foreign and security policies. EU decisions affect almost every aspect of life in the member states, including education, employment, transport and medical/scientific research. Advantages: - citizens can travel, work and live in any EU countries - goods, money and services can move freely between the countries

OBJECTIVES Economic objectives - create jobs and promote economic growth - help member states with economic problems - enable the free movement of goods, services and money between states Political objectives - promote democacy and freedom - improve working conditions and ensure equal opportunities - prevent diseases and support medical research fight cybercrime, terrorism and human trafficking

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER STATE? Any European State can apply to become a member of the Union but it must conform to the Copenhagen Criteria = set of rules that establish the conditions for joining:

• stable institutions that guarantee democracy, human rights, respect for and protection of minorities
• a functioning market economy
• adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union

EUROZONE - Single currency As a result of the Treaty of Maastricht, all EU member states (with the exception of Denmark, which negotiated the right not to use the euro when the Treaty was agreed) are required to become part of the Eurozone and adopt the euro once they meet certain economic conditions. So far, 20 countries that have joined the EU have adopted euro, except for Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary. The most recent was Croatia in 2023. more stable prices - countries lose autonomy over ther economic policy - economic problems in one country may affect the exchange rate for all Eurozone countries

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK - based in Frankfurt - is the bank that administers the Eurozone’s monetary policy. It has to make sure that banks operate safely and reliably.

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EU

END OF THE WORLD WAR II

9th May 1950

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY HAS EXPANDED

The EU grew out of a desire for peace after the 2 world wars. European leaders decided that the only way to prevent another war was to cooperate.

1951

1957

1967

1985

1992

2007

2015

2009-2011EUROPEAN DEBT CRISIS

1st January 2002

the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) were founded with the Treaties of Rome.

6 countries (Italy, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands), which aimed to share resources in order to rebuild after the destruction, signed the Treaty of Paris to set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).

The French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman gave his historic speech proposing that Western European countries should integrate their production of coal and steel. This date became the Europe Day which is now celebrated annualy.

The Schengen Agreement led to the creation of the Schengen Area = bordless area where European citizens can move freely without the need for a passport. 22 EU countries have joined the Schengen area, together with 4 non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Iceland). Governments may reinstate internal border controls for national security reasons (e.g. terrorism, pandemics.).

The Treaty of Maastricht transformed the EC into the European Union (EU). The citizens of all members states became EU citizens with some fundamental rights: frre movement of goods, consumer protection, public health service, equal opportunity treatment, access to employment and social security. The treaty also created the basis for an economic and monetary union, including the single currency.

The 3 communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC)

BREXIT In 2015, the UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron announced a referendum about its membership of the European Union, which was held in June 2016. The leave side won (although not with a big gap; besides, the majority of voters in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay) and the process known Brexit (Britain’s exit from the EU) started. After 3 years of complicated negotiations, the 2 sides agreed a deal in October 2019, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson representing Britain. The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, but agreed to a transition period until 2021. During 2020, a trade deal was also negotiated to allow trade in goods and services to continue with no tariffs after this transition period. This was finally agreed to at the last minute, on 24 December 2020, and came into force on 1 January 2021.

The Lisbon Treaty aimed to make the EU more efficient, more democratic and better able to address global problems, such as climate change. It contains a common set of rules relating to the EU and is similar to a constitution.

euro coins and notes were physically introduced.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL - based in Brussels - made up of the heads of state or government of all EU countries + EU Council President + EU Commission President - the Presidency rotates between the member States every 6 months - decisions are made every 3 months at summit meetings between the leaders, chaired by a permanent president Functions: it decides on the EU's political direction

EUROPEAN COMMISSION - based in Brussels - made up of 27 members (one for each country) appointed for a 5-year term, each dealing with a specific field - executive body --> Functions:

• proposes legislation
• implements the decisions of the Parliament and Council of Ministers
• draws up the EU budget

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - based in Strasbourg and Luxembourg - represents European citizens in proportion to the population of each member State - made up of 751 members (MEPs) elected every 5 years by the citizens of the member states - Functions:

• discusses, amends and passes laws (together with the Council of Ministers)
• supervises the Commission
• votes on the annual budget

COUNCIL OF THE MINISTERS - based in Brussels - made up of the government ministers from each country - each EU country holds the presidency of the Council on a 6-month rotating term - together with the Parliament, it's the decision-making institution --> Functions:

• discusses, amends and passes laws
• adopts the EU budget
• co-ordinates the policies

COURT OF JUSTICE - based in Strasbourg - made up of 2 judges for each member state - Function = it makes sure that law is applied in the same way in all EU countries

• Generate experiences with your content.
• It’s got the Wow effect. Very Wow.
• Make sure your audience remembers the message.

With Genially templates, you can include visual resources to wow your audience. You can also highlight a particular sentence or piece of information so that it sticks in your audience’s minds, or even embed external content to surprise them: Whatever you like!Do you need more reasons to create dynamic content? No problem! 90% of the information we assimilate is received through sight and, what’s more, we retain 42% more information when the content moves.

Let the communication flow!

Got an idea?

Here you can include a relevant fact to highlight

THE EUROPEAN DEBT CRISIS refers to the struggle of some Eurozone countries to pay back huge debts that they had built up over previous years. It affected 5 countries in particular (Greece, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain). The crisis started in Greece in 2009. After joining the euro in 2002, Greece found it easier to borrow money --> public spending rose sharply. At the same time, the government's income was hit by widespread tax evasion. As a result, the deficit (difference between income and spending) grew. Within 3 years, the problem had escalated and 4 other Eurozone countries risked defaulting on their debt payments. The EU, led by Germany and France, initiated loans from the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. However, in return for these bailout packages, it imposed unpopular austerity measures which included spending cuts, tax rises and reforms in the labour market and in pensions. Since then, the European economy has recovered but some people think that the Eurozone crisis still threatens the future of the euro and the EU itself.