An overview of United Europe

• One Europe? The European Union and the Council of Europe

• Origins of integration• EU powers and achievements• The issue of European governance

One Europe? The European Union and the Council of Europe

• Origins

• Evolution

• Interactions

Origins

• COE: 1949 – 10 members - IntergovernmentalGoal: art. 1 of the statute of the organizationCloser Union, protect & promote principles they have in common, foster their economic and social progress.= actions in all fields are possible except defense & military issues

• EU: 1951 (ECSC), 1957 (EEC)- 6 members - SupranationalismGoal: a common market

Evolution• COE: The « big » Europe (47 members)Human rights protection (ECHR)More than 200 conventions promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law, in all fields (namely social rights, protection of women –migrant rights, languages, education, fight against terrorism). Ex : Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic

violence, may 2011

• EEC -> the EC & EU (1992) -> the EU (2009)27 members (the « small » Europe)Common market (goods, services) & other common policie(agriculture, employment & social affairs, consumer protection, environment, justice freedom & security, public health…)Human rights & European CitizenshipForeign & security policy

EU member states1951France Germany Italy Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg1973 United Kingdom Ireland Denmark1981Greece1986Spain Portugal 1995Austria Sweden Finland2004Czech Republic Slovakia Hungary Poland Slovenia Estonia Latvia LithuaniaCyprus Malta 2007Romania Bulgaria

Interactions

• Institutional cooperationSystem of information between the 2 organisationsCoordination of actionsEx : Human rights (relationships between European courts, accession of the EU to the ECHR - currently taking place)

• Substantive interactions in various fieldsEX : Fighting terrorism, the Roma community and the fight against racism…

Origins of integration

Post-war concerns: political & economicWWI: Society of Nations 19191920’s: Pan-European movementWWII: European integration neededChurchill, 1946, Zurich University: « a kind of United-States of Europe »

Economic situation post WWII

• See Marshall speech (Harvard,1947) & planEuropean economic structures have collapsed1948: OEEC (OECD since 1960)

Need for cooperation for reconstruction

Political situation post WWII

• Germany disarmament & the cold war threatIssue of remilitarization of Germany to resist the Soviet Union expansionism

• A European system of protection of fundamental values to avoid human rights violations is needed

EU powers and achievements

• Progressive development of EU powers:Idea of neo-functionalism (Haas, 1958) Spill-over movementIntergovernmentalism: extension of powers through the revision of treaties (1986, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2007)Judicial activism: principles of EU federalism, market rights’ extension

The issue of European governance

• Challenges for EU institutions EnlargementIncreasing powersExternal policy Recent reforms

• Need for new methods?Democracy / TransparencyInteraction with citizensSoft law v. hard law ?Bottom up v. top down ?

See: White paper of the European Commission on European Governance (2001)