EUROPEAN UNION

European Union

European Union

Introduction

In the aftermath of World War II, the French foreign affairs minister Robert Schuman laid the first bricks for the construction of the European Union (EU) in 1950 by declaring the necessity of establishing European economic unification as an initial step toward larger federation. The objectives of such unification were to promote peace and stabilize the economy as well as to enhance the sense of cultural similarity. As a result, a new treaty was signed in Paris in April 1951 by France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. In March 1957, these countries initiated an organizational union in the form of the European Economic Community. Thereafter, several treaties were signed to guide shared economic policies, and the membership expanded to include Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and Britain.

A deeper unification was created in February 1992, when the 12 countries extended the economic arrangement to a political one by signing the Treaty of Maastricht. In October 1997, several amendments to the Treaty of Maastricht and to the previous treaties were made by the signing of the Treaty of Amsterdam. After the expansion of the membership of the EU to include 25 member states in 2001, a new treaty known as the Treaty of Nice dealt with the issues of reforming the EU institutions. Since the EU has been guided by a series of treaties, there was a demand to construct a formal constitution for Europe. Although proposing a new constitution was not easy due to cultural and political factors, a draft of the constitution was ratified by the leaders of the member states in June 2004. It defines the main objectives as the advancement of peace, the union's values, and the well-being of its people. Compared to the U.S. Constitution as drafted in 1787, the EU constitution is a contract among the governments, whereas the American one is a contract between citizens and the government that defines the political, economic, and social values of both sides. While the American constitution is short and flexible, the EU constitution is long and extensively detailed (John, 2010: 21-45).

Past Issues

The EU constitution uniquely combines confederalism and federalism while retaining its supranational nature. Within the confederal system, the central government derives its authority from two or more sovereign states. This government has no direct effect on the citizens of these states. An example of confederalism is the United States during the period from 1781 to 1788. The original 13 states formed an agreement known as the Articles of Confederation, or the League of Friendship. The role of the central government was to announce war and to approve treaties. However, it did not have the authority to impose taxation, amend articles, or endorse treaties without the consent of the 13 states. Likewise, the political system of the EU is weak relative to the power of the member states (national governments), and it has no direct relationship with ordinary citizens. The EU, therefore, has no higher authority above the national governments, but it has a ...