European Economic and Social Committee

What is theEuropean Union (EU)?

• 28 Member States• 508 million inhabitants• Candidates for EU membership: Iceland, Turkey,

Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro

What are the EU's main principles?

• Common values: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law, human rights, pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity (Art. 2 TEU)

• Aim: to promote peace, the Union's values and the well-being of its peoples (Art. 3 TEU)

• 4 freedoms: free movement of persons, goods, services and capital

The key stages in the EU's history

The 1950s – the beginningsPost-war reconstruction

• 1950: Schuman Declaration on 9 May• 1951: foundation of the European Coal and

Steel Community (ECSC) 6 Member States: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands

• 1957: Rome Treaties – birth of the European Economic Community (EEC) and Euratom

The 1960s - laying the groundwork

• 1960: creation of the European Social Fund• 1962: launch of the Common Agricultural

Policy (CAP)• 1968: abolition of customs duties

The 1970s

• 1973: 1st enlargement – Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland join the EECEurope now has 9 Member States

• 1979: 1st election by direct universal suffrage of the European Parliament

The 1980s - consolidation

• Enlargement to Southern European countries: Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986)Europe now has 12 Member States

• 1986: Single European Act • 1990: with German unification, former East

Germany becomes part of the EEC

The 1990s

• 1993: entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty • 1995: new enlargement – Austria, Finland and

SwedenEurope now has 15 Member States

First decade of the 21st century: the Euro and the biggest

enlargement • 1 January 2002: 12 countries introduce the euro• 2004: enlargement to Central and Eastern

European countries - 10 new Member States join: Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and SloveniaEurope now has 25 Member States

• 2007: Bulgaria and Romania join Europe now has 27 Member States

• 2013: Croatia joinsEurope now has 28 Member States

The first decade of the 21st century

• Need for institutional reforms • European Constitution rejected in France

and the Netherlands (2005)• Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and its entry

into force on 1 December 2009

What does the EU do for you?A few examples

• Freedom to live, study and work in any Member State

• Youth exchange programmes: Comenius, Leonardo Da Vinci and Erasmus

• A single currency for 18 countries • Environmental laws to combat global warming • Equal opportunities • Lower roaming charges• And much more ...

The European institutions

The European Parliament • Co-legislates (with the Council)• Monitors the budgets and policies of the

European institutions • Currently 766 members, elected by universal

suffrage (751 members after the 2014 European elections)

• Elections every 5 years• President: Martin Schulz

The European Council • Provides the EU with political guidance and defines

the political directions and priorities • Consists of the Heads of State or Government of

the Member States, together with its President and the President of the European Commission

• President: Herman Van Rompuy

The Council of the European Union • Co-legislates with the European Parliament

(amends, adopts or rejects the Commission’s legislative proposals)

• Consists of ministers from the 28 Member States chosen according to the agenda

• Rotating presidency: is chaired by a different Member State every 6 months: 1 January – 30 June 2014: Greece1 July – 31 December 2014: Italy

The European Commission • Proposes and implements laws (right of

initiative, "guardian" of the Treaties)

• 28 Commissioners including one president: José Manuel Barroso

• One commissioner per country, each in charge of one policy area

Other EU institutions and bodies

• The Court of Justice of the European Union • The European Central Bank • The European Court of Auditors • The European Economic and Social

Committee (EESC)• The Committee of the Regions

The European Economic and

Social Committee

What is the EESC?

• It is an advisory body set up by the Treaty of Rome (1957)

• Represents organised civil society

European Parliament Council of the European

UnionEuropean

Commission

European Economic and Social Committee

What is organised civil society?

All the groups and organisations that citizens set up to represent their interests, to achieve a goal, or to cooperate with like-

minded people

What is the role of the EESC?

• Consultative role to the European Parliament, Council and Commission (+/- 200 opinions a year)

• Institutional forum for dialogue and consultation

• Promotion of European values, participatory democracy and the role of civil society organisations

A bridge between the EU and organised civil society

• Brings forward civil society’s interests • Enables civil society organisations from the

Member States to express their views at European level

Who are the members of the EESC?

• 353 members, appointed for 5 years• 1 president, elected every 2 and a half years• President: Henri Malosse (2013-2015)• Represent economic and social interest groups:

employers, workers, NGOs and others• Work on the basis of consensus• Have considerable expertise on many subjects• Hold +/- 9 plenary sessions a year

How does the EESC work? Drafting of an opinion

6 sections

Plenary Assembly

GROUP IIWorkers

GROUP IEmployers

GROUP IIIVarious Interests

SECTION SECTIONStudy Group: Members and experts

Your Europe, Your Say!

1. Read and discuss the draft initiatives for Europe's future

2. Choose a maximum of two options from the multiple choice list (a, b, c, etc.)

3. Propose additional initiatives in English. The number of initiatives is limited to two per school

4. Prepare for Brussels5. In Brussels: working group meeting6. Debate and vote7. Presentation of the vote

What you have to do - 7 steps

1. Read and discuss the draft initiatives• Mid-January 2014: you will receive the

working document in your own language, and the instructions in English and French

• This working document will provide the basis for the debate in Brussels; it contains a list of 12 actions for Europe's future

• Discuss the various initiatives in class

2. Choose your initiatives

• Following your classroom debate on the proposed initiatives, choose a maximum of two options from the multiple choice list (a, b, c, etc.)

• Propose additional initiatives (two per school) in English. You have a limit of 70 characters per initiative (including spaces)

• All the schools will send their choices to the EESC

3. Prepare for Brussels• The list of 14 initiatives selected by all the

schools will be forwarded to you at the beginning of March

• Prepare to argue, negotiate and debate these initiatives so that you will be ready for the working groups in Brussels

4. In Brussels: working group meeting

•The 14 chosen initiatives will be discussed in the working groups: pooling ideas, debating between students

5. In Brussels: debate and vote

• At the plenary session, presentation of each working group's conclusions to the representatives of the different political groups of the European Parliament

• Electronic vote

Deadline and contacts

• The deadline for sending us your initiatives in English (maximum 2) and your choice of options for each initiative: 14 February 2014

• Email: youreurope@eesc.europa.eu• Website: www.eesc.europa.eu• Your Europe, Your Say• @youreurope