European Union's treaties and the integration process
Transcript of European Union's treaties and the integration process
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Treaties and the Integration Process
Index
1The Making Treaties
2Treaties and the Nature of European Integration
3Concluding Remarks
1The Making Treaties
Intergovernmental Conference
Key actors are representatives of
the governments of the member states
Unanimity is necessary
The length of IGCs has varied
Council presidency exercises this role by convening and chairing all meetings at all levels
Intergovernmental Conference
IGCs have inevitably taken up many working hours
The principal charge was that it was too casual and underprepared for the December 2003 summit
Intergovernmental Conference
EU’s two main non-governmental institutions
struggle to exert much influence
Commission is certainly in no position to attempt to veto agreement
Its influence on eventual outcome is usually marginal
The EP is even more disadvantaged
It has usually been disappointed by IGC outcome
commission European Parliament
The ratification difficulties have resulted in the schedule for the implementation of all of the post foundation treaties
Ratifying treaties
Ratification problems have been negative referendum results
Ratification difficulties can bring national gains
2Treaties and the Nature of European Integration
Economics before Politics
The extent is no more clearly seen than in the way
That every post-foundation treaty has involved
extensions to QMV(Qualified Majority Voting)
The main rationale was that QMV extensions were
a prerequisite for the passage of the SEM (Single
European Market) programme.
Flexibility
All of the EU’s treaties since the Maastricht Treaty have
built on and extended tradition of being adaptable and
innovative in respect of policy development
Incrementalism
Governments realise the advantages of cooperating with other EU countries in a particular policy area and attempt to do so on a very loose intergovernmental basis.
The policy area given clear treaty recognition and moved firmly into the organisational framework of the union.
Governments realise they must permit stronger decision-making processes if aims to be achieved
Ideal three-step type of integration cascade
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Incrementalism
How to treaties have advanced
Expending
the EU’s policy
Remit and potential
Strengthening
The EU’s institutional
and decision-making
arrangement.
Increased length and complexity
The governments attempt to make the EU more effective and efficient,
but they also seek to promote and defend national interests
On length, post-Lisbon, the TEU
Contains 55 articles and the
TFEU no less than 358
On complexity, this is no more
Clearly demonstrated that with
the TEU
The many protocols and declarations that customarily have been
attached to the treaties provide another dimention
Variable pace
The pace of the integration process has varied
Treaties reflect this variable pace
Interplay between supranational and national actors
Some analysts of European integration have made much of the role
played in the integration process by supranational actors
Although making of EU’s treaties may appear to provide strong
support, the case should not be overstated.
Interplay between supranational and national actors
The very processes in which the role of national
government is likely to be most prominent
Commission is an active participant in IGCs.
The EP was allowed to make a direct input
Commission and the EP have been able to
exercise in influence in IGCs
Benefits for everybody
Certainly in all of the treaty-making negotiations there have been disagreements between the states.
Because of their own distinctive needs and preferences, states have sometimes argued.
But it has nonetheless been recognised that there are benefits for all to be gained from the integration process.
The integrationist advances achieved in the treaties have been made possible by the member states
An elite-driven process
Insofar as political and administrative elites tend to set the policy agenda may be said to be elite-driven
But, This is particularly the case in the EU because of the weak lines of accountability between decision-makers and the citizenry.
Elites do not always reflect popular concerns, has been demonstrated by difficulties in ratifying the treaties
Demonstration of the elite-driven nature of the integration process occurred when several member states moved to hold referendums on the constitutional Treaty.
3Concluding Remarks
Ongoing, but perhaps in the future a very different, Process
The discussions and negotiations before have been characterized
by considerable differences between the participants
on the nature and pace of integration.
Given the experience of the 2000s, clearly none of these options
provides an ‘easy’ way of amending the treaties
For those who want to see the EU based on an integrated
federalist structure treaty reform certainly does matter,
but then this federalist vision is no longer realistically.
Thank you