Student generated presentation giving the background to the EU

1.  

2. o 500 million people
o 23 languages
o Expanded from 6 to 27
countries
Potential countries to join the EU:
o Bosnia & Herzegovina
o Montenegro
o Iceland
o Albania
o Serbia
o Turkey

3. The EU is a single market and has a
standardised system of laws which apply in all
member states.
Within the Schengen Area (22 EU and 4 non
EU states) passport controls have been
abolished.
 EU policies aim to ensure the free movement
of people, goods, services & capital
 The EU maintains common policies on trade,
agriculture, fisheries & regional development.
A monetary union, the euro zone, was
established in 1999 and is composed of 17
member states.

4. After World War II, European integration was seen as a
route to peace.
 1951: European Coal & Steel Community, pooled the
national heavy industries.
 Founding members: Belgium, France, Italy,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.
1957: Treaty of Rome established the European
Economic Community: a customs union.
1973: Communities enlarged to include Denmark,
Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
1993: Maastricht: The EU was formally established.
In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date
when Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia
joined the Union.

8. Issues
The average GDP per head for the new member states
(2004) was 40% of the average for existing EU countries,
making them an economic burden.
The failure of many eurozone countries to stick to the
rules on government debt triggered a financial crisis in
2009.
 Greece was burdened with debt amounting to 113% of
GDP - nearly double the eurozone limit of 60%.
 10bn-euro bailout package for Greece. 85bn euros was
agreed on for Ireland, and a 78bn-euro bailout was
approved for Portugal.
 Bailouts failed to address a continuing crisis of
confidence in the currency and to heal rifts
among the major EU economies on how to deal
with it.

10.  More than 40% of trade is with EU partners
 The single market means UK citizens are free to move, live , study and
trade anywhere within the EU
 Increased Migration, people migrating to the UK to find work, leads to
higher unemployment for UK citizens
 EU competition law gives firms the opportunity to do business across
the EU , stopping bigger firms abusing their power by setting up cartels
and monopolies
 UK has had many economic gains from membership – raised UK GDP
by 3-5% and if we withdrawal GDP would decline by 2.25% permanently
due to lower FDI leading to lower technical progress
 Competition has increased since membership due to pressures on firms
to reduce prices by increasing efficiency- fall in prices of 3.9% and an
increase in quality in order to differentiate products

11.  David Cameron is planning a national vote on whether Britain should quit the EU he
said he wanted to renegotiate the Uk’s relationship with the EU and give people the
choice between staying in under the new terms or leaving the EU
 If the UK left we would suffer the consequences including lower growth and lower
investment as a lack of confidence and act as a drag on investment decisions
 If it goes ahead the referendum is due to be held between 2015 and 2017
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21148282
 The UK wants secure access to the single market but does not want to be involved in
unnecessary policies
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20448450
 The EU launched a clean fuel strategy to ensure the build up of alternative fuel
stations across Europe. There will be a minimum level of infrastructure for clean
fuels e.g. electricity , hydrogen and natural gas, this is a major opportunity for
Europe to establish a strong position in the global market and become more
resource efficient