European Union (1)

Kolga -Jaani Basic school
European Union
Roosmary Suigusaar
Form 9
Kolga-Jaani 2010

Site map

What does European Union?…………………………………………………..3
The main aurthorities…………………………………………………………..4
Information……………………………………………………………….……5
What does European Union?
European integratsion process began in 1951, when concluded European Coal and Steel Community founding agreement between Belgium, Netherland , Luxenbourg, Italy , France and West Germany . It was to prevent armed conflicts between the Member States.
EU is economic and political partnership between 27 democratic European countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria , Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark , Estonia, Finland , France, Germany, Greece, Hungary , Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania , Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands , Poland, Portugal , Romania, Slovakia , Slovenia, Spain , Sweden, and the United Kingdom) .
Its aims are peace , prosperity and freedom for its 498 million citizens — in a fairer, safer world. For now European Union is achieved frontier-free travel and trade, the euro (the single European currency ), safer food and a greener environment, better living standards in poorer regions , joint action on crime and terror , cheaper phone calls, millions of opportunities to study abroad … and much more besides .
To make these things happen , EU countries set up bodies to run the EU and adopt its legislation . The main ones are:
*the European Parliament (representing the people of Europe);
*the Council of the European Union (representing national governments);
*the European Commission (representing the common EU interest).
Unfortunately affiliation to European Union empade independence in country . The EU support its companios if it’s necesarry.
The main authorities
The European Parliament is the only directly-elected body of the European Union. The 736 Members of the European Parliament are there to represent you, the citizen . They are elected once every five years by voters right across the 27 Member States of the European Union on behalf of its 500 million citizens.
Parliament plays an active role in drafting legislation which has an impact on the daily lives of its citizens: For example, on environmental protection , consumer rights , equal opportunities, transport, and the free movement of workers , capital, services and goods . Parliament also has joint power with the Council over the annual budget of the European Union. Jerzy Buzek is the President of the European Parliament
The Council is the EU's main decision- making body. Like the European Parliament, the Council was set up by the founding treaties in the 1950s. It represents the member states, and its meetings are attended by one minister from each of the EU’s national governments.
Which ministers attend which meeting depends on what subjects are on the agenda. Javier Solana gives EU diplomacy a face as High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Commission is independent of national governments. Its job is to represent and uphold the interests of the EU as a whole . It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council.
It is also the EU’s executive arm – in other words, it is responsible for implementing the decisions of Parliament and the Council. That means managing the day-to-day business of the European Union: implementing its policies, running its programmes and spending its funds.
Like the Parliament and Council, the European Commission was set up in the 1950s under the EU’s founding treaties. José Manuel Barroso heads the EU executive as President of the European Commission

Informatsion

http://europa.eu/abc/panorama/index_en.ht m
http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/parliament/index_en.ht m
http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/council/index_en.ht m
http://europa.eu/institutions/inst/comm/index_en.ht m
http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euroopa_Liit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union