European Union

1993-Present

EU Countries

Name famous places in France.

The Louvre One of the largest museums in the

world Houses, arguably, the most precious art

pieces The Eiffel Tower

Built for the 1889 World’s Fair Most visited (paid) monument in the

world

Name famous places in the UK.

Tower Bridge Suspension and draw bridge – good luck

Big Ben Second largest four-faced clock tower in the

world Renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012

Stonehenge Built in 2400-2200BCE

Mystery!

Name other famous places in Europe. Roman Colosseum

Built in 70-80CE

Leaning Tower of Pisa Don’t build on soft ground… especially in the

1100s Sagrada Familia

Barcelona, began to build in 1882still not finished

Parthenon Athens, built in 438BCE

Trevi Fountain Rome, largest Baroque fountain in the world

Why was the EU created?

Reaction to WWII

Europe’s competition and divisiveness created animosity which led to war.

If the countries of Europe are more dependent on one another, the likelihood of more violence and war decreases.

Tariffs

What is a tariff? How might tariffs cause conflicts

between countries?

Begins in 1957

Treaty of Rome Common market – European

Economic Community Elimination of tariffs Forge a common agricultural policy

Promote and monitor nuclear energy – European Atomic Energy Community

Widening and Deepening

Widen Geographic expansion

Deepen Remove barriers Increase degree of integration

Formalizes in 1993

Maastricht Treaty Goals of the European Union

an economic and monetary union (Euro)

a common foreign and security policy

Expansion of the EU

Dublin Constitution appointment of an EU president appointment of an EU foreign minister Legislation would be approved by both

the appointed Council and the elected European Parliament

DEFEATED IN RATIFICATION

Fear of the EU

Why was ratification defeated?o economic issues and fearo unease over a growing number of

immigrantso erosion of national identityo “democratic deficit” most leaders

were appointed

Lisbon Treaty, 2007

New treaty created with some of the Constitutional issues resolved

Needed ratification of all 27 members Ireland sent it to the voters, they

rejected it. But ratified it a year later, with some

changes.

Governing the EU

What does the US government look like? Draw a picture or diagram depicting

how our government works

Governing the EU

European Commission Qualified majority voting – weighted

votes according to population European Parliament European Court of Justice National vetoes removed in some

policy areas No reference to a flag or anthem

Entry Task

Answer each item in your notes… What is our economy dependent upon? What are some of the labor laws we

have developed over the last 150 years?

Please describe the US economic philosophy.

Eurozone

Those member nations that use the Euro Not including the largest economy in

Europe – United Kingdom Intended to create a stable

economic powerhouse. Specific financial criteria

That no one really paid attention to…

Economic Crisis

Exposed weaknesses in EU European governments in too much

debt Inconsistent fiscal policies in member

nations Inability of the EU leaders to react

quickly Inability of the European Central Bank

to do what the FED did

Entry Task

Define in your notes… capitalism socialism mixed economy

Economic Crisis Greece

Widespread tax evasion Massive spending with borrowed money

Italy Enormous national debt

Ireland Under-regulated banks

Spain Real-estate collapse Led to 22% unemployment

Economic Crisis Germany

Largest economy in the Eurozone Dependent upon trade surpluses

sustained by the debt-ridden, high consuming EU members

Inability to borrow moneyGreece, Ireland, and Portugal

BAILOUTS With austerity measures to reduce

deficit

Austerity Measures

Increase taxes Decrease government spending

Strong Labor Unions

Europe has a history of strong labor unions

Like the U.S., the acceptance of labor unions kept most of those countries from communist revolutions

Labor union power has increased over the last two decades

Strong Labor Unions

France Difficult to fire anyone Blamed for increased unemployment Led to Paris law allowing anyone under

26 to be fired within the first two years of employment for any reason

Greece Difficult to fire anyone 80 paid holidays throughout the year