European Union
Essay title: European Union
INTRODUCTION
MISSIONS AND VISIONS FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION
THE GENERAL VIEW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
THE LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT FOR EUROPEAN UNION
THE EUROPEAN UNION
HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
2.1.1.
HOW THE EU WAS BUILT
2.1.2.
MEMBER STATES OF EU
2.1.3.
HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
DEPARTMENTS AND POLICIES
2.2.1.
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
2.2.2.
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
2.2.3.
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
2.2.4.
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE (ECOSOC)
2.2.5.
THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE
2.2.6.
THE EU CONSUMER COMMITTEE
2.2.7.
THE EUROPEAN BUREAU OF CONSUMER ORGANIZATIONS
2.2.8.
HOW EU LAWS ARE MADE
2.2.9.
EU-SPEAK
2.2.10.
THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY
2.2.11.
FOOD SURPLUSES
THE CONSUMER PROGRAM
EUROPEAN SINGLE MARKET
WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN SINGLE MARKET?
BACKGROUND
CONTROVERSIES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
MISSIONS AND VISIONS FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION
After fifty years of evolvement, European Union is not a simply an international organization anymore. The Union’s functions are spreading from purely economic and monetary up to the social and security matters; it has become an integral part of government for almost each European country.
The missions and visions for the European Union we seek is really the big picture of the Union that we have in our mind for the future of this organization. Thus we need to come together and look out for what the picture is like and where does the overlapping occur.
THE GENERAL VIEW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Although an implicit agreement seems to have been reached that European Union is something much more than simply an international organization of a kind, there seems to be no distinct vision of what it is then. What is European Union? What should we call it? What should we compare it to? Or is it completely unique and incomparable?
The issue of the basic idea of the European Union is something that should be elaborated by especially a convention like this. It is important that the people of the Union make it clear for themselves what they see in it and what they would like to see. If the union is unique, can we define it somehow? I think this convention should try to seek out the innovative ideas that are not limited by the traditional nation-state concentrated vocabulary of federations and con-federations. People often get scared of the comparisons that are made with state institutions thinking the European Union will exchange them with its own ones. So what is the European Union and what are its power structures?
The basic function of the Union is also something that needs clearing up. There are very many tasks the Union is seen obliged to fill: ensure prosperity and equality, freedom and security, justice and better co-ordination etc. Many of these tasks are contradictory and their completion may have a counteractive effect on each other. Some general view of what we see the basic roles to be is also something in need of discussion by the convention. What do we expect from the union and where do we lay the emphases? Is the primary goal to ensure welfare for all the nations of Europe or should the Union only set up the co-operation networks that would lead to a self-inflicted evolution towards prosperity? Has the Union been successful in creating a competitive basis towards other strong economic areas? Is the primary goal to be able to compete with outsiders and thereby defending European economy or does the emphasis lie in a more co-operation based relations? The roles of the Union are many and the ideas are even more numerous. The major emphases and views are still something to work on.