EU Institutions and Parliamentary Relations

<p>The right to amend, reject, and sign off on budget books. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Members were appointed from national legislatures. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The EU's powers are specifically defined by member states, limiting its sovereignty. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide the EU with the power to act in a given area. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The EU has supreme authority with minimal member state involvement. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Member states are unable to adopt any further legal acts in that area. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The EU can only support or supplement member states' actions. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Declarations (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>By identifying the relevant competences in articles 4-6 TFEU and then matching it to a legal basis in Part three TFEU. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Protocols (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The principle of subsidiarity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>There is no less restrictive yet equally effective alternative available. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Regulation (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To ensure that EU action does not overreach on individual or member state rights. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They transmit their opinion and provide political control of the proposed Legislation. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Subsidiarity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Member states with regard to the final result. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To take decisions as close as possible to the citizens. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are the ultimate source of law, shaping EU legal principles and enabling key legal concepts. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are agreements that outline the basic framework of law, but are open to interpretation and policy shaping. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because EU law is vague due to difficulties for member states to agree on the specifics, lacks a constitution, and has a complex decision-making process. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Acting as an unofficial policy maker by interpreting laws in alignment with the pro-European ideologies. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A period of stagnation in EU integration during the 1960s. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It established the principle of direct effect, allowing individuals to invoke EU law in national courts. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They were invoking the EU law against the Dutch customs authority, objecting to the tax on the basis of EU law. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It is a document that is not meant to substitute the constitution of the EU but is the closest thing to it. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Concerns over the potential for unforeseen outcomes and instability. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Its use of rulemaking, monitoring, and enforcement to address market failures. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The adoption of policies that do not have broad public support. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It serves to correct existing biases in member states without creating any of its own. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The complexity of the EU's institutions and procedures. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The introduction of the Euro and a common asylum policy. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Peace, security, solidarity, and mutual respect. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To define the EU's external policy priorities and guide its actions. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The EU's perceived failures in responding to the conflicts in Yugoslavia and Kosovo. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A mutual assistance clause obliging member states to support an attacked member. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It is highly intergovernmental policy area, with EU member states remaining key actors. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To define the strategic outlook of the EU and adopt common strategies. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The power of initiative and the possession of veto power. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Interactions between different institutions within the EU, such as the European Parliament, European Council, and European Commission.

The European Parliament has evolved from a weak consultative body to a powerful legislative and budgetary partner with the Council of the European Union. This evolution includes gaining direct election, increased legislative power, and holding the European Commission accountable.

The European Parliament's influence over the EU budget has grown significantly. It has gained the right to amend and reject budget proposals, approve the budget, and scrutinize the Court of Auditors.

The first direct elections to the European Parliament (EP) took place in 1979. This marked a significant shift in the EP's power, as it became directly accountable to the citizens of the EU.

The "empty chair crisis" of 1965 was a major event in inter-institutional relations. France refused to participate in EU meetings until it received more control over agricultural policy. This event highlighted the delicate balance of power and decision-making within the EU.

The process by which judges influence the application of the law to achieve specific policy outcomes, shaping the legal order and influencing political decisions.

The idea that treaties and constitutions have ambiguities and gaps that leave room for interpretation. This ambiguity is a strategic tool for courts to influence policy outcomes.

The idea that EU law is open to interpretation because member states often disagree on specific details. This ambiguity provides space for the ECJ to shape EU policy.

The ECJ's principle that EU law directly applies to individuals within member states, enabling citizens to invoke EU law against their governments.

The principle that EU law overrides inconsistent national laws within EU member states.

A landmark ECJ ruling (1963) that established the principle of direct effect, allowing individuals to directly invoke EU law against their national governments.

The period of stagnation in EU integration during the 1960s, often attributed to political disagreements and lack of consensus among member states.

The idea that the ECJ emerged as a key driver of EU integration, actively pushing for further integration by shaping EU law in a pro-European direction.

A legal agreement between EU member states that establishes the EU's objectives, institutions, and key principles.

The EU's legal framework that defines the EU's internal policies and actions.

The principle that the EU only has power in areas specifically granted to it by member states through treaties.

Areas where the EU has exclusive power to legislate, meaning member states cannot make laws on these topics.

Areas where both the EU and its member states can legislate. If the EU passes a law in these areas, member states are blocked from making their own laws.

Areas where the EU can support member states but cannot force them to act. The EU plays a ‘supplementary’ role.

Finding the specific provisions in the EU treaties that grant the EU power to legislate in a particular area.

The process of determining whether EU laws are valid by checking if the EU has the power to act in that specific area, based on the principle of conferral.

A situation where policies adopted by the EU lack widespread support and are driven by specific interests, rather than representing the will of the majority.

The EU's role in regulating markets, addressing market failures, and striving for a situation where everyone benefits.

The argument that the EU's decision-making power is not actually a problem, because it corrects existing biases among member states.

The process of political forces influencing the EU's regulatory approach, potentially shifting it towards redistribution instead of pure market regulation.

The argument that the EU's power is limited and primarily focused on cross-border economic activities, not having a significant impact on national policies.

The principle of subsidiarity states that the EU should only act when action at a national level is insufficient to achieve desired goals.

A shared competence is an area where both the EU and member states can act.

Article 5(3) of the Treaty on European Union outlines the principle of subsidiarity.

The principle of proportionality ensures that EU action is no more extensive than necessary to achieve its objectives.

The proportionality principle helps to safeguard individual rights and prevents arbitrary decisions by the EU.

The principle of proportionality requires that EU action is appropriate, necessary, and proportionate in a strict sense.

A regulation is a legally binding act that applies directly to all EU citizens and member states.

A directive is a legally binding act that sets out the goals to be achieved by member states but allows them to choose the means of implementation.

This treaty, signed in 1993, formally established the European Union (EU) and introduced several key policies such as the Euro and Common Asylum Policy. It was the first step towards greater integration of the EU.

The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is an area where EU countries cooperate on foreign policy and security issues. It aims to create a unified voice and approach in international matters.

The St. Malo Declaration, signed in 1998, was a landmark document in the development of the CFSP. It underlined the need for a more robust and coherent EU-led security and defense policy. This declaration was a response to the EU's perceived failures in responding to the Yugoslav and Kosovo crises.

The Lisbon Treaty, in force from 2009, strengthened the CFSP by including a clause that obliges member states to provide support to one another if under attack. This was a significant step towards greater European solidarity.

The European Council, composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, plays a leading role in shaping the CFSP. It defines the strategic outlook of the EU, adopts common strategies, and sets guidelines for the Foreign Affairs Council.

Though designed as a common effort, the CFSP remains highly intergovernmental. The EU member states retain significant influence within this policy area. They have the right to propose initiatives and possess the power to veto decisions.

The European Council acts as the strategic guide for the CFSP, setting overall direction and priorities. It adopts common strategies to address major foreign policy challenges and provide guidance to the Foreign Affairs Council on how to implement those strategies.

Commons strategies, joint actions, and common positions are instrumental tools within the CFSP. Commons strategies set out long-term goals and priorities for EU foreign policy, while joint actions are more specific actions aimed at addressing particular issues. Common positions represent the unified stance of the EU on specific topics, requiring unanimous agreement from all member states.