Impact of the Single Market Program on the Regulatory Role and Decision-Making System of the EU - Assignment Example

European Union The impact of the single market program on the regulatory role and decision-making system of the European Union: The base for the modern EU was constructed in the years after the 2nd World War. The countries suffered economically and socially. The governments understood the benefits of cooperation and the process started in the 1950s with the confluence of some of the countries. This gained momentum with the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1980s and soon more countries joined the union. The Euro, a common currency for the continent, was introduced in 1999 and that helped in the trade and commerce of the region. The residents of the various countries could move to the other countries without the problems of documentation and the governments of the various countries did not charge customs and taxes in the borders. This helped in the rise of the trade and commerce in the region. (The history of the European Union, n.d.; The EU internal market, n.d.) The EU has been responsible for the development of the continent economically and socially. At the present the EU comprises of 27 countries and there are more countries to be added in the anvil. The construction of the EU has benefited the business and the residents alike. The construction of the single market has enabled the prosperity of the people of the continent. In 2006, the EU enabled the growth of Euro 240 billion. The goods are cheaper with the abolition of the taxes and the duties and there are wide choices for the customers. There are more jobs and the businesses in the area benefited from the abolition of the complex rules and regulations of the individual countries. It is much easier now to do business and the customers get the real value for money. There have been several benefits for the construction of the EU. However, the benefits of the EU have been a result of the vision of the policymakers for the last 50 years. The construction of the EU gave rise to the need of a coherent regulatory and decision-making system. (EU single market-benefits, 16th November 2007;How the EU single market benefits you, n.d.) The modern system of the EU is based on the emergence of the EU as one of the hotbeds of the economic growth in the global world. The economic and the financial growth of the region meant that there was a need for a system to look after the regulatory and the decision making process. The modern system of the EU stands on the five bodies created form the Commission’s treaties. (The institutions and bodies of European Union, n.d.) They are as follows: The European Commission (EC) The European Council (TEC) The European Parliament (EP) The Court of Justice (CJ) The Court of Auditors (CA) The CA examines the financial records of the businesses and the trading activities within the area. The other four bodies are the most important organizations within the EU. The EC, TEC and the EP are called the “decision making triangle” and the CJ assumes an important place in the legal system of the EU. The EP is the chief governing body in the EU. The people of the country select the members from the different countries. The number of members depends on the size of the country. The legislative decisions of the EU are taken with joint collaboration of the Council and the Parliament. The rules and regulations should gain approval by the EP to be formulated. TEC works in tandem with the EP for the decision-making and legislative process. The EP looks into the international relations, justice and activities in the EU. It is said to be the most important body of the EU. The rules and regulations passed by the EP needs to be approved by the EC for application. The activities to be done depend on EC. The governments select the members from the countries and a President at the helm. The election has to be approved by the EP. The developmental activities are to be performed by the EC with the help of the TEC. The EP overlooks the activity and approves the functions after every year. The government has assumed a democratic stance where the members are elected by a democratic process of voting. The system has developed into a good mechanism whereby the developmental activities are taken care of. Thus effective decision-making has been possible owing to the single market existence of the EU. (European Commission, n.d.; The European parliament, n.d.; The council of the European Union, n.d.) It is the Council of Ministers rather than the European Parliament that exercises real power in the EU legislative process. The European Council (EC) is one of the most influential bodies in the operations of the EU. The EU consists of the governments of the member countries- generally the ministers and a President elected by the members of the EC heads the body. The EC works in tandem with the President of the European Commission (TEC). The role of the EC is to debate over the functions and the operations of TEC in their meetings. It recommends the procedures and the operations to be followed for the development of the area. The EC receives a report of the developmental activities of the area through TEC and debates the topic among its members. The EC then recommends the functions to be undertaken for the developmental activities. The area covers economic policies of countries under the EU. After the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997, the EC have the responsibility to assess the situation of employment in the EU and the EC and TEC prepare a report regarding it. In the case of the international relations and the defense related policies of the area, the EC recommends and advises TEC over the matter. The advise of the EC is derived from the debate of the ministers in the body. The Treaty of Amsterdam has enhanced the powers of the EC and the body looks into the other areas of the country where the members have common interest. The EC publish reports of the development activities of the area and recommends the sectors on which the Commission works. The Lisbon Council held in 2000 advised for the economic and the social reforms. The EC brings all the heads of the states together and the body looks in the path for the development of the area. The activities of the European Commission and the European parliament are influenced by the recommendation of the EC. As the members of the government of different states head the EC they look for the development of the respective region. The members from the different countries argue over the operations of the European parliament and the European Commission and then a consensus is reached. (Craig, n.d.; The role of the European council, n.d.) Then activities of TEC are based on the control of the European Parliament and the EC. The European Commission performs four main roles: It proposes any new legislation to the Parliament and the EC. It manages the budget of the EU. It carries on the activities proposed by the Parliament and the Council and it looks into the matter of the maintenance of the law. It negotiates agreements with the other international bodies. (The European Commission, n.d.) The activities are seen over by the European Parliament. From the discussion up to this point, it may seem that the Parliament is the most powerful body in the EU. However, it has to be said that the power is shared between the Parliament and the EC. In the case of the legislative decisions in the EU, a “co-decision” procedure is followed. In the “co-decision” procedure, the Commission initiates a change in the legislation, which is put up in the Parliament. After the amendments or the acceptance of the law, it goes over to the EC. If the EC accepts the change of the law, the rules and regulations come into place. If the Commission declines the amendments, the Council has the power to accept the change by unanimity. If no unanimous decisions are reached then a Committee is formed with the equal members from the Parliament and the Council. The members try to come to a consensus. If the consensus is not reached, then the law is scrapped. In the case of the budgetary procedure, the Parliament has the right to accept or reject the plans for the budget. However, in the case of compulsory spending or in the case of the agricultural expenditure, the Council makes the final decision. The key decision making areas rest with the EC. The Parliament has the power to question the activities of the EC. From the above discussion it can be said that the Parliament has the powers over majority of the decisions. However, the key strategic decisions rest with the EC and the decision-making activities of the Parliament needs approval of the EC. Therefore, it can be said that the EC has the real power in the legislative processes in the region. (European Parliament-role, competencies, and working methods, n.d.) References: 1. The history of the European Union. (n.d.). Europa. Available at: http://europa.eu/abc/history/index_en.htm (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 2. The EU internal market. (n.d.). Delegation of the European Union to japan. Available at: http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.internal_market.php (Accessed on 8th may, 2010) 3. EU single market-benefits. (16th November, 2007). EU business. Available at: http://www.eubusiness.com/topics/sme/eu-single-market-guide/ (Accessed on 7th May, 2010) 4. How the EU single market benefits you. (n.d.). European Commission. Available at : http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/top_layer/benefits_en.htm (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 5. The institutions and bodies of European Union. (n.d.). European Navigator. Available at: http://www.ena.lu/ (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 6. European Commission. (n.d.). Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/basicfacts/index_en.htm#process (Accessed on 8th may, 2010) 7. The European parliament. (n.d.). Europa. Available at: http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/parliament/index_en.htm (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 8. The council of the European Union. (n.d.). Europa. Available at: http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/council/index_en.htm (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 9. Craig,P. (n.d.). Some thoughts on the role of the European Council. Available at: http://www.ecln.net/elements/conferences/bookmadrid/craig.pdf (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 10. The role of the European Council. (n.d.). European Navigator. Available at: http://www.ena.lu/ (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 11. The European Commission. (n.d.). Europa. Available at: http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/comm/index_en.htm 9Accessed on 8th May, 2010) 12. European Parliament-role, competencies and working methods. (n.d.). Available at: http://199.236.92.209/european_union/europeanparliament.pdf (Accessed on 8th May, 2010) Read More