module
Samen met het ‘overzicht treaties’ en het pdf-document ‘How the EU
works’ geeft dit een goede beknopte samenvatting van de Engelstalige
module Europees Recht.
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Europees Recht, semester 1 blok C
, Samenvatting Engelstalige module Europees Recht | Graef, Michelle de
Week 1
Development of EU
The second World war sparked sole idea to eradicate the possibility of
another conflict on such devastating scale, thus the United Nations was
founded in 1945. Conflicts would be disputed through dialogue instead of
conflict. The EEC was also founded as a response to WWII, where the idea
of a United Europe gained support. The European Coal and Steel
Community (ECSC) treaty was signed in 1951 to establish a common
market in steel and coal. It had a principal institutions.
1) The High Authority
- 9 independent appointees of the 6 member States governments
- Main executive institution, with decision-making power
2) Assembly
- National parliament's delegates
- Supervisory and advisory powers
3) Council
- A representative from each national government
- Limited decision-making powers
- Broader consultative role
4) Court of Justice
- Consisted of 9 judges
Failed proposals
- European defence Community (EDC)
- European political Community (EPC)
This would have instated a shared army, common budget and joint
institutions. This called for a form of common foreign policy which caused
the whole thing to fall apart.
These failed projects led to focus more on the economic side rather than
the political. In 1956 the first steps towards the basic plan of the European
Atomic Energy community and the EEC were published. The economic
terms included the idea of a common market and so removing tariffs and
quotas. It also entailed the 'four freedoms': free movement of:
- Goods;
- Workers;
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, Samenvatting Engelstalige module Europees Recht | Graef, Michelle de
- Capital and establishment;
- The provision of services.
The treaty of Rome was also designed to approximate the economic
policies of the member States, to promote harmonious development of
economic activities throughout the Community, to increase stability
and raise the standard of living, and to promote closer relations between
the member States.
The Treaty of Rome was a mixture of continuity with the past as far as
concerning for institutions. The Assembly and the Court of Justice were
shared with ECSC. However, there was a separate Council of Ministers.
This consisted of a national representative from each member state. The
separate executive authority, The Commission, was composed of
members drawn from the Member States.
⇒ Merger Treaty (1965) institutions merged and shared by the three
Communities (EEC, ECSC and Eurotom
⇒ 1962 Assembly renamed; European Parliament
The period between the EEC Treaty and the SEA (Single European Act)
involved important developments. More states joined; they went from
unanimous to Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) in the Council. In 1970 there
was a recommendation to hold a Quarterly meeting of all foreign ministers
of the Member States (intergovernmental forum for cooperation in foreign
policy) ⇒ 1973 European Political co-operation
1974 ⇒ European Council ⇒ heads of government of States.
1960 – 1970 ⇒ ECJ created the supremacy of Community law over
national law to reinforce these judicial strategies
Single European Act
The SEA 1906 still ranks as one of the most significant Treaty revisions in
the history of the EU. It gave a legal basis to European Political Co-
operation and formal recognition to the European Council, although not
within the Community treaties. A Court of First Instance was created to
assist the Court of Justice.
Most significant change:
A new legislative procedure was created, the 'cooperation procedure'
which applied to a defined list of Treaty articles. This was to transform the
Community decision-making process ⇒ measures to complete internal
market (now article 114 TFEU)
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