EU Institutions and the Process of European Integration - Coursework Example

Which of the EC/EU’s s has played the most-effective role in pushing forward the process of European integration? Instructor 13/08/14 INTRODUCTION The EC/EU (European Union) is an economic and political federal group of states consisting of twenty-seven member countries that make principle of action adopted in several areas. The European Union was created in 1993 with the signing of the popularly known Maastricht Treaty (Treaty on European Union) (Kaiser, 2007). It never worked in isolation and thus was presided by various European organisations that contributed to the development of the EU (Kaiser, 2007). The European Union depicts the latest and most accomplishing in a series of efforts to make Europe united, including many attempts to achieve unity through force of arms, such as those seen in the campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte and World War II. Over the years, there has been a dramatic change in the constitution of the EU so as to accommodate upcoming countries and for efficient productivity of the body. Although the Nice Treaty had attempted to bring into use institutional reforms to allow an enlarged Union to function better and more efficiently, critics stated confidently that the treaty had established an even more complex and less efficient decision-making process (Taylor, 2011). Moreover, the restrictions by certain provisions to limit the size of the European Union to twenty-seven member states arguably made the EU embark on a new institution reform effort in 2002. The process reached its climax on December 1, 2009 the year that the agreement began to be practiced officially. The Lisbon treaty developed gradually from the forwarded EU constitution treaty, which had been dismissed in French and Dutch national referendums in 2005, partly because of public concerns about continued EU enlargement. Lisbon Treaty also looks too at enabling streamlining of the EU’s governing institutions and decision-making processes, and in this view eliminates the technical hurdle to enlarging the EU beyond the twenty-seven member states. The agreement was meant to make the European Union powerful in the face of the globe. It also sought to increase the democracy and openness among the countries making the Union and hand the European legislation more power (Aleisen, 2004). The European Union has twenty-eight member states and is governed by a number of institutions that embody the EU’s character of supranational and intergovernmental tendency. These bodies are the European council, the European Commission, the Council of the European Union or Council of Ministers, the European parliament and the Court of Justice (Blair, 2005). All these bodies serve distinct functions and deal with respective duties to increase efficiency, transparency and more so integration. The European council is responsible for developing strategies whose main purpose is to implement and drive the union’s policies. It is made of the overall EU president as well as the presidents of the nations forming the union. The Union holds its meetings a number of times annually. The meetings are popularly referred to as known as the EU summits. The European council is headed by the President, who is assigned a role by the member states to organise the council works, ensure policy continuity, and facilitate consensus (Archick, 2014). The EU commission is an executive body that look at the interest of different country members and unifies them to the preferred interest that would satisfy all the members. It makes it possible for the implementation and management of the EU decisions and common policies, ensures that the provisions of the EU’s treaties and rules are carried out properly, and has been provided with the sole right of legislative initiative in most policy areas (Archick & Morelli, 2014). It has 28 commissioners at its disposal coming from each member state/country. Each commissioner is entitled to a distinct portfolio, and one commissioner serves as Commission President. The council of the European Union (or Council of Ministers) represents the member states and thereby has the role of enacting legislation, usually based on proposals put forward by the Commission of Ministers holds sole decision-making authority. It consists of ministers from the twenty-eight national governments with each minister participating in Council meetings depending on the subject. The head of the summit usually makes a visit to the union’s nation in a six months period. The union legislation was formed to serve the citizens of the member states. It is entrusted with sharing responsibility for enacting most EU legislation with the Council of Ministers and decides on the allocation of the EU’s budget jointly with the council (Corbett, et al., 2011). Currently, it has seven hundred and sixty-six members who directly elected in the member states for five-year terms. The legislators are allied to the political parties and not to the country they come from. The political parties, therefore, represent the wider region. The Court of Justice interprets EU laws, and its rulings are binding (Craig & Búrca, 2007). There are other institutions that play a key role in the EU. These include the Court of Auditors that monitors the EU’s financial management; the European Central Bank entrusted with the management of the euro and EU monetary policy; and advisory committees representing economic, social, and regional interests (McCormick, 2005). Each institution in the EU has contributed immensely in the success of integration in Europe. The European council, for instance, has the Head of states from member states, and this has symbolised the commitment of these member states to a common course of integration. The European countries coming up together has significantly enhanced cooperation and has also enabled the interests of member states not to be overlooked. The body has taken into account the need to report progress and the annual EU summits accord, the body with International recognition. The Union has been a tool for member states to take pride in association with the body thus has directly teamed up to see cooperation (McCormick, 2005). The commission is made up of members who are from all the nations forming the union. Its concern with implementation and management of the EU’s decision has helped shape the EU’s image and being the body concerned with these decisions, it helps maintain order as the agreement reached is as a result of the contribution of every member state. The idea of every member state contribution and the importance attached to every member’s contribution instils a sense of equal superiority, and joint decision implementation enhance cooperation. The Council of ministers gets involved in legislation and thereby takes into account guidelines to be followed and more so the constitution of the body. These guidelines have been key in providing best guidelines to look into the welfare of member states. Drafting of these laws in the presence of representatives from member states has instilled a common boundary and increasing universality as same laws bind all member states. The inclusion of member states in this process has aimed at providing a sense of belonging, and this makes member states free to share their concerns in an international platform (Phinnemore, 2006). As the legislators represent the people who belong to their various nations, they make an aspect of inclusion to the union. This inclusion has been vital in integration of the EU as citizens too feel a sense of belonging by taking part in EU’s functions directly. It further makes the body not to be entirely involving governments but also take into account the citizens thereby showing its interests to the very people who make the body matter. The European parliament makes it sure that whatever law that is inconsistence within a country or states finds its way in the international body. Therefore, the European parliament represents member’s interest while observing the Union interests as well. The Court of Justice has too played an important role in the integration by interpreting laws that make sure that there is no misinterpretation of the law thereby closing a loophole that can exist in such case (Pinder, 2008). The European Central Bank, however has made a milestone in enhancing the integration of the European Union (Smith, 2007). The participation and contribution in the management of the Euro has made the body more progressive as its economic agenda makes the European Union help in the advancement of the economy. Trade worldwide has been the backbone holding the countries together. Its position in monetary involvement has made it influential in pushing its agenda forward, and it is in such light that the success of the Euro has meant that the member states can be able to reap financially in its involvement with the EU. The economic gain against the dollar has been fundamentally helping it be able to woo other states to join. Its economic gain has made its concerns be looked into and thus making it have a better hand in negotiating for their progress. Those countries that had initially opted to stay away from the union are sooner now beginning to join in the Union. The institution has seen the use of a common currency a success. These have further aided in helping the euro gain against the dollar and as such helped in increasing the Eurozone economic prowess. Being in the EU means being committed to the decision, and policies made and as such member states have to work hand in hand. Trade involvement under the same currency has helped the citizens to have a direct link and feel belonging with the EU. As such, the EU ceases not to be just an intergovernmental body and brings into the participation of people in the Eurozone. Similarly, this economic unity has challenged the member states to work in commitment and close ties with the other thereby evading conflicts. A common currency means that its protection is the responsibility of each member and as such member states share a common resource unquestionably finding a common identity to stay together. Moreover, the provision by the bank to offer loans has made the institution help steer integration by being able to offer guidelines and terms for such provision. The economic share to each member state further has aided in EU integration by the states having to reap the fruits of their labour directly. Moreover, it has made the members maintain an economic balance, an industrious spirit and a bigger territory to extend their economic exposure. However, this cannot be possible without having to consider the integration aspect. In this case, even at the lowest levels of power feel the pinch and in order for economic progress to be reached, people have to trust and cooperate with other member state, and such economic maturity has made it possible for the success of integration. Though it has not worked in isolation, and its decision has been as a result of the interaction with the other institutions, it forms a backbone in the success of the EU’s integration more so because it touches on the most-important key agenda of economic excellence (Reid, 2005). CONCLUSION The EU has made a major landmark in steering forward integration and has succeeded in doing so through its improvised institutions. Though it has not been a smooth encounter, its effective management and all-inclusive agenda that it holds in social, political and religious grounds has proved the body’s worthiness. The institutions it has formed have so far been a major success, and though some have been overshadowed by others, the overall achievement can never be underestimated. It has come through a series of change and more importantly is the persistent it has employed in making sure that their vision is not a through away opportunity. Just as we’ve seen a major pull-through in European Central Bank, the other institutions should look into an opportunity in making sure that its influence is felt so much by everyone. Success of integration is not only a lying technicality but otherwise be a light that shines to the vision of everyone. Beyond what the institutions are doing, it’s prudent for them to include in their agenda a way they can actively participate too in a breakthrough of a felt effect on the ground (Staab, 2013). The institutions though have had an impenetrable association to the success of the EU, and even though they do not actively participate to a significantly greater level as the European Central Bank, they too are part of the success of integration (Vanthoor, 2002). References Aleisen, A. a. R. R., 2004. The European Union: A politically incorrect view. Journal of Economic perspectives, pp. 27-28. Archick, K., 2014. The European Union: Questions and Answers. [Online] Available at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21372.pdf [Accessed 13 August 2014]. Archick, K. & Morelli, V. L., 2014. European Union Enlargement. [Online] Available at: http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21344.pdf [Accessed 13 August 2014]. Blair, A., 2005. The European Union Since 1945. New York: Longman. Corbett, R., Jacobs, F. & Shackleton, M., 2011. The European Parliament. London: John Harper Publishing. Craig, P. & Búrca, G. d., 2007. EU Law, Text, Cases and Materials. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaiser, W., 2007. Christian Democracy and the Origins of European Union. London: Cambridge University Press. McCormick, J., 2005. Understanding the European Union. New York: Palgrave. Phinnemore, D. a. L. M., 2006. A Dictionary of the European Union. London and Chicago: Europa. Pinder, J. a. S. U., 2008. The European Union: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. Reid, T., 2005. The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy. New York: Penguin Press. Smith, C., 2007. International Trade and Globalisation. Stocksfield: Simon & Schuster. Staab, A., 2013. The European Union Explained: Institutions, Actors, Global Impact. London: Indiana University Press. Taylor, J., 2011. EU accused of artificially inflating its aid figures. [Online] Available at: http://courses.wcupa.edu/rbove/eco338/070Trade-debt/Aid/070511EU.txt Vanthoor, W., 2002. A chronological History of the European Union. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Read More