Companion to the European Union

391 Pages·2006·2.37 MB·English

by  Alasdair Blair

Companion to the European
Union
Companion to the European Union provides information and analysis on the
key developments and policies of the EU. Divided into five sections, particu-
lar features include:
(cid:118) An overview that sets out the context of European integration
(cid:118) A detailed section on all the Institutions of the EU, from the European
Commission and the European Parliament to the European Ombudsman
and European Central Bank
(cid:118) Analysis of the major policies of the EU, from Economic and Monetary
Union to Trade Policy
(cid:118) An extensive glossary which is aided by the provision of a synoptic index
and cross referencing
(cid:118) A detailed chronology which reviews the major stages in the formation of
the EU
The book also includes features such as biographies of key personalities,
maps, a detailed guide to further reading, and 35 tables that provide acces-
sible information relating to the EU. The Companion to the European Union
provides a comprehensive and timely guide to the European Union since 1945
and is essential reading for students of European and International Politics.
Alasdair Blair is Jean Monnet Professor of International Relations at Coven-
try University. His research interests are focused on British foreign policy and
European integration. Recent publications include The European Union since
1945 (Longman, 2005), Saving the Pound? Britain’s Road to Monetary Union
(Prentice Hall, 2002) and, co-authored with Anthony Forster, The Making of
Britain’s European Foreign Policy (Longman, 2002).
Politics/Current Affairs

Companion to the European
Union
Alasdair Blair
First published 2006
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270
Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2006 Alasdair Blair
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 10: 0–415–35896–5 (hbk)
ISBN 10: 0–415–35897–3 (pbk)
ISBN 10: 0–203–56744–7 (ebk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–35896–5 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–415–35897–2 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978–0–203–56744–9 (ebk)
For my brother

Contents
List of illustrations viii
Maps x
Acknowledgements xiv
Abbreviations xv
1 Overview 1
2 Institutions 8
3 Policies 45
4 Glossary 77
5 Chronology 305
Further reading 338
Index 345
Illustrations
Figures
3.1 GDP per head, 2002 66
4.1 Co-decision procedure 112
Maps
1 The Six member states (1957) x
2 The Nine member states (1973) x
3 The Ten member states (1981) xi
4 The Twelve member states (1986) xi
5 The Fifteen member states (1995) xii
6 The Twenty-Five member states and applicant countries (2004) xii
7 The Twelve member states of the eurozone xiii
Tables
2.1 Presidents of the European Commission 9
2.2 European Commission Directorates general 10
2.3 Treaty changes to the European Parliament’s powers 14
2.4 Growth of the European Parliament 15
2.5 European Parliament elections, 2004 16
2.6 Voter turnout in European Parliament elections 17
2.7 Distribution of Political Groups within the European
Parliament (June 2005) 18
2.8 Presidents of the Common Assembly of the ECSC
(1952–58) 18
2.9 Presidents of the European Parliament (1958–79) 19
2.10 Presidents of the European Parliament since 1979 19
2.11 Weighting of votes in the Council of Ministers 21
2.12 Rotating Presidency of the Council of Ministers 23
2.13 Proposed ‘Team Presidency’ under the Constitutional Treaty 24
Illustrations ix
2.14 Distribution of members of the Economic and Social
Committee and the Committee of the Regions 39
2.15 Geographical origin of complaints to the European
Ombudsman in 2004 43
3.1 Financing the EU’s Budget (own resources) 46
3.2 EU Budget spending priorities in 2005 (%) 48
3.3 Transposition by member states of Internal Market rules
into national law (as at 15 November 2004) 56
4.1 From application to accession 78
4.2 African, Caribbean and Pacific States 81
4.3 From association agreement to EU membership 86
4.4 Policies subject to co-decision 113–4
4.5 Structure of Coreper 118
4.6 Members of the Commonwealth 122
4.7 Members of the Council of Europe 134
4.8 History of EU enlargement 155
4.9 Europe agreements 161
4.10 Presidents of the Commission of the European Atomic Energy
Community (Euratom) 163
4.11 Presidents of the High Authority of the European Coal and
Steel Community 165
4.12 Voter turnout in European Parliament elections, 1979–2004 171
4.13 Member states and the EU 233
4.14 OSCE states 247
4.15 The EU’s own resources 249
4.16 Weighting of votes in the Council of Ministers 260–1
4.17 Examples of referendums relating to European integration 263