Fiche TOPIC 1

TOPIC 1
: THE EUROPEAN UNION

PART 1 : GENERAL INFORMATION
A) FEW BASIC FACTS

- Facts/Figures :
 27 countries/member states ; 24 official languages
 Total population in the EU : about 450 million people (China : 1.45 billion ; India : 1.39 billion
USA : 333 million)
 Population in the Eurozone : 340 million people
 Germany is the most populated country of the EU : 83 million
 Malta is the least populated one : 0,5 million
- Some historical landmarks:

 1945-1959 : the Founding Fathers, the beginning of a cooperation (Adenauer, Schuman,
Churchill, Gasperi, Monnet)
 1960-1969 : the “Swinging Sixtied” (France, Italy, Germany)
 1970-1979 : The first enlargement (=nouveaux membres dans l’UE)
B) GENERAL INFORMATION
 7 institutions (the European Central Bank; the European Council…)
 EU capital city : Brussels
Origins :
- the European Coal and Steel Community  created after World War II to regulate the coal
and steel industries. It was formally established in 1952 by the Treaty of Paris
- the European Economic Community  created by the Treaty of Rome of 1958, aiming to
foster economic integration among its member states
 Maastricht Treaty (was signed in 1992 and came in force in 1993)  established the
European Union
 A single market
 The Schengen Area is an area comprising 26 European countries that have abolished all
passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders  free circulation of
people, capital, goods and services
 A monetary union : the Eurozone (19 member states)
 Nobel Peace Prize in 2012
 Latest member : Croatia
 The UK : 1st country to leave the EU (2020)
The Treaty of Lisbon : It’s the latest major amendment. The Treaty of Lisbon was signed in 2007 by
the 27 European member states and came in force in 2009
It’s a modifying treaty  amended the existing ones
It transforms the institutional framework (=structure/cadre) of the Union. It modifies the Treaty of
Rome and the Treaty on the EU (Masstricht)
C) 7 Candidates
Official candidates : Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey
Potential candidates : Boznia Herzegovina, Kosovo
The Copenhagen criteria : The rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European
Union  A stable democracy ; a functioning market economy ; the acceptance of the obligations of
membership
Evaluation is the responsibility of the European Commission
D) THE SYMBOLS OF THE EU

1) The European Flag
2) The EU Anthem : the Ninth Symphony, Van Beethoven
3) Europe Day : May 9th
4) The EU motto : “United in Diversity”
E) THE GOALS OF THE EU

- To establish the foundations of a close union between the European countries
- To secure peace and seek a political unity
- To promote economic and social solidarity : the creation of a European common market
- To preserve European identity and diversity in a globalized world
F) HOW DOES THE EU WORK ?

7 institutions :
- The European Parliament : Legislative branch, decides on the general budget of the EU,
exerts (=exerce) democratic control over EU institutions, 705 MEPs who are directly elected
by the citizens every 5 years on the basis of proportional representation, the EU President
and Vice-President are elected by MEPs every 2,5 years
- The Council of the European Union : Legislative branch + budgetary power
One minister from each EU country, Presidency rotates every 6 months, decides EU laws and
budget together with Parliament, concludes international agreements
- The European Commission : Promoting the common interest
27 independent members, one from each EU country, proposes new legislation to the
Parliament and to the Council, executive organ (=implements the laws), Ursula Von der Leyen
(2019-2024)
- The European Council : Summit of heads of state and government of all EU countries, 4 times
a year, sets the overall guidelines for EU policies, Charles Michel
- The European Central Bank : President is Christine Lagarde, works independently from
governments
- The Court of Justice of the EU : upholding the law, 27 judges
- The Court of Auditors : getting value for your money, 27 members, ensures the budget of the
EU is properly handled by the Commission
G) BUDGET
The EU relies on contributions from the 27 member states, the contribution is proportional to the
wealth and level of development of each country (Germany : 1 st contributor, France : 2nd contributor)
Budget represents 1% of the GDP of the EU
Agriculture is the biggest share of the EU budget
H) LEGISLATION
EU decisions are made by the Parliament and the Council
I) THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN

Established by the Treaty of Maastricht, he’s appointed by the European Parliament for 5 years, any
European citizen may appeal to the Ombudsman to investigate a European institution on the grounds
of maladministration (irregularities, discrimination, abuse of power…)
J) ECONOMY
 2nd largest economy in the world
 GDP = 22% of the global economy
 The euro (2002) = the 2nd largest reserve currency + the 2nd most traded currency in the world
 Goal of the economic policy : the avoidance of public deficit and the maintenance of a
budgetary stability (the deficit musn’t exceed 3% of GDP)
PART 2 : REPOWEREU
A) BACKGROUND
 March 2022 : the EU Commission proposed a plan to make Europe independent from Russia
fossil fuels well before 2030
This plan integrates with the EU Green Deal (to make EU climate neutral by 2050)
 May 18th 2022 : Introduction of the RePowerEU Plan
B) 3 AXES
 Saving energy (with increased energetic efficiency objectives)
 Diversifying energy supplies (finding alternative supplies of gas, oil, coal…)
 Accelerating clean energy  the plan will speed up the green transition
C) FINANCING THE PLAN

 RePowerEU is part of a bigger plan : NextGenerationEU
 Each country has a Resilience Facility Plan to support reforms in the energy sector
 The RePowerEU involves a big investment : 210 billion euros (2022-2027)
D) OBJECTIVES
 To put an end to the EU’s dependance on Russian fossil fuel

 To gradually replace fossil fuels by generating new ways of producing energy

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TOPIC 1

: THE EUROPEAN UNION

A) FEW BASIC FACTS

- Some historical landmarks:

D) THE SYMBOLS OF THE EU

E) THE GOALS OF THE EU

F) HOW DOES THE EU WORK ?

I) THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN

C) FINANCING THE PLAN

 To put an end to the EU’s dependance on Russian fossil fuel

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