The 1st Poster session about the EU history, institutions and budget was held the 10th of October 2013. Professors and students from “The economics of Spain and the EU” module in Economics and Business faculty, Oviedo University (Spain) discussed about several topics the students had prepared and presented through posters. In this ppt all the posters presented can be consulted.

1. Poster session
European Union
History, institutions and
Budget
10th of October 2013

2. Misunderstood theoretical perspective firstly supported by Victor
Hugo, Richard Coudenhove Kalergi and Aristide Briand.
“United States of Europe”
Complex mix of institutions, structures and procedures.
Independent entities come together to form a new whole (a union).
Preservation and promotion of their particular cultures, interests,
identities and sense of self-definition.
Importance of democracy.
Focuses strongly on „high politics‟, major issues of violence and political
order.
International state integration‟s theory
by Stanley Hoffman.
Governments control the level and speed of state
integration.
Power decisions are driven by national governments.
Supranational organizations ≠ national governments.
Integration is often based on the domestic political and
economic issues of the day.
Any kind of cooperation should be agreed by all countries.
„Liberal Intergovernmentalism‟
Although many countries are
in favor of this position about
European integration and
in some ways they try to follow it,
The European Union
are currently not given
much importance to this position.
Council of Ministers
Purely intergovernmental body
the Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice
Supranational mode of decision-making
Intergovernamentalism focused on
Sets of inter-state bargains
The decision-making of the Council of Ministers.
The role of the Commission, European Parliament, or societal actors.

3. Why was the Single Market Programme necessary?
What was the main aim?
What is the Single Market?
Design of the Single Market Programme
reinforced the four freedoms identified in
the Treaty of Rome: free movement of
goods, services, people and capital.
The Single Market allows people and
business to move and trade feely across
borders within the EU.
The programme followed the EU’s
adoption of the Single European Act in
1986.
Why was it needed?
Designed to overcome inhibitors of
free trade between EU members.
Achieve economic growth through
free markets by challenging
protectionist behaviours.
What were the key steps taken in the
programme?
•
•
•
•
What have been the main effects so far?
•
•
Goods trade liberalisation
Streaming or elimination of border formalities
Remove capital controls
Harmonisation of technical standards in
production, packaging and marketing
•
Increased competition between
companies in manufacturing & services.
Greater mobility between citizens of
member states.
Greater attractiveness to investment
(foreign direct investment). Increased
employment opportunities across
businesses which span the EU.

4. QUALIFIED MAJORITY VOTING
The European Council has two
decision rules
UNANIMITY
Most important issues
main
QMV
About 80 % of the
decisions
•Created with the Nice Treaty.
•Based on a new weightening of votes and a “demographic net”
clause.
•The number of votes of each country is weighted
•With Lisbon treaty:dual majority
NICE TREATY
LISBON TREATY
Qualified majority voting (current)
Dual majority voting (1st-Oct-2014)
•At least 14 states
•Majority of countries 55%
•At least of the voting weights
•Majority of populaton 65%
•At least 62% of population represented by the states
in favour
Blocking Minority requires 4 countries
It is vitally important in a nation in which unanimity is almost imposible to attain
.

5. SPENDINGS
± € 120 billion
RECEIPTS
The EU budget
F A vast array of activities, from rural
I development and enviromental protecting
N external borders and promoting human rights
EU members (GNP)
A
Money left from previous N
years
C
Tariff revenue – CET
E
Agriculture levies
S
VAT(Value Aded tax)
GNP(Gross National
Product)
Commission, Council, Parliament
all have a say in how big the
budget is and how it is allocated.
The commission & EU are responsible for the
actual spending
These aids had benefited
those countries with a
bigger agricultural sector
and those which have
economies based on their
secondary sector. They’ ll
probably have to make
some changes in their
economic structure in the
future

6. Location
Aim
Members
Presidence
Decisionmaking
Brussels
Brussels
Brussels
Pass European laws, coordinate
the general Member States’
economic policies, conclude
international
agreements, contribute to
approve the EU’s budget jointly
with the European Parliament
Provides broad guidelines for EU
policy and trashes out the final
compromises necessary to
conclude the most sensitive
aspects of EU business, including
reforms of the major EU
policies, budget plans, treaty
changes…
Propose legislation to the Council
and Parliament, administer and
implement EU policies, provide
surveillance and enforcement of
EU law in coordination with the
EU Court, manage EU budget,
represents the EU at
international negotiations
One EU Member State holds the
presidency every six months. Sets
EU basic agenda and chairs all
Council of Ministers meetings
(except FASP ones).
1 commissioner from each
Member State: Each is in charge
of an area of UE policy. (choose
by their national governments) +
president+ 2 vice-presidents.
They all serve for five years.
One representative from each EU
Member State authorized to
commit their governments to
Council Decisions
Now: Herman Van Rompuy
(Lithuania) + three nation group.
Rotating every 6 months, one EU
Member State
Most important issues (20%) ->
unanimously. Most issues (80%)
-> majority voting called
‘qualified majority voting’
Evolution
The European Council and The
Council were separated because
of the Lisbon Treaty. It was
created as an informal foro of
debate for presidents
* Other
ideas
*The difference with the Council
is that the European Council is
the meeting of the ‘bosses’ of the
Council members rather than
relevant Ministers.
Now: Dalia Grybauskaitė
(Lituania) One representative
from each EU member. They
represent their governments.
Two main decision-making rules
as in The European Council
Now: Jose Manuel Barroso.
Simple majority. Almost all
decisions on the basis of
consensus
The 1º Council appeared in the
ECSC as "Special Council of
Ministers” with limited powers
on issues related with steel and
coal. With the Lisbon
treaty, European Council and
Council were separated.
This institution was formed by
the ECSC, the EEC and the EAEC
(Euratom). Thanks to the fusion
Treaty, they were converted in
only one institution “Commission
of the European Communities ",
but with the Maastricht Treaty it
was called as we today know it
*EU’s main decision-making
body. It uses different names
according to the matters being
discussed (Agricultural Council)
*The commission as a whole
must be approved by the EP.
Strasbourg, but also in
Luxembourg (Parliament’s
secretariat) and Brussels
Sharing legislative powers with
the Council and the Commission.
Overseeing all EU
institutions, specially the
Commission
About 750 members are directly
elected by EU citizens every 5
years. MEPs represent their local
constituencies
Martin Schulz (Germany). Elected
by majority voting, and they
chaired 2 years and a half
Primary democratic control over
the EU’s activities. European
Parliamentary elections are
sometimes influenced by pure
national concerns; voters express
disapproval or approval of the
ruling national government’s
performance
Elected every 5 years since 1979.
But the turnout at EP elections
has fallen consecutively since
that date. Until 1979, the
members of EP were the
members of national parliaments
*Parliament’s geographic
dispersion is not effective, time
and money are wasted
Luxembourg
EU laws and decisions have many
interpretations so its aim is to
settle disputes between Member
States, EU, EU Institutions and
between individuals.
One judge from each MS (for 6
years). Also 8 ‘advocates-general’
help judges by constructing
‘reasoned-sumissions’.
Now: Vassilios Skouris (Greece,
2003). The Judges of the Court
elect the President of the Court
from among their number for a
three years.
Mayority voting
As the Lisbon Treaty extended
the Court’s authority over many
issues so now the Council has
many sub-courts.
*- Highest authority on the
application of EU law.
- Define relationships between
the MS and EU.
- Create protections for
individuals

8. Do democracy and jurisdictional competition favour centralisation or
decentralisation of decision making?
Decentralisation:
• is the process of redistributing or dispersing
functions, powers, people or things away
from a central location or authority
• Fayol: "Everything that goes to increase the
importance of the subordinate's role is
called decentralisation."
-
Democracy
form of government in which people
choose leaders by voting
a country ruled by democracy
an organization or situation in which
everyone is treated equally and has
equal rights
enables consideration
diversity of preferencies
- impedes the abuse of
power
- Citizens need
decentralized
opportunities for access
to decision-making
Jorge Carretero Fernandez
Natalia Bone Iglesias
Lisa Jurdens
Centralisation:
• is the concentration of formal authority at
the top levels of an organization
• in a centralized
organization, knowledge, information and
ideas are concentrated at the top and
decisions are cascaded down the
organization.
Jurisdictional Competition
Voters can influence government in two
ways:
• Exit: move between countries, leave
the region
• Voting for other parties
Decentralisation favours competition
among public institutions of different
countries
- mobility of capital among jurisdictions limits
governments interference
Decentralisation

9. WHAT IS THE TRADE-OFF BETWEEN
PREFERENCES, INFORMATIONS AND
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
LOCALIZED
CENTRALIZED
Preferences&Informations
“small issues”
Economies of Scale
“complicated issues”
Related to problems that are not
as important within all the
countries of the EU.
How to agree about a
controversial issue?
Such as problems related to
adjustments in trade or impossing
a tax, given that some countries
would be benefited and other will
not
Cantera González, Raquel
Namari, Giorgio
Villa Velasco, Patricia

12. Principle of subsidiarity
Aims to determine the level of intervention that is
most relevant in the areas of competences
showed between the EU and Member States
This principle is fundamental to the functioning of
the European Union, and more specifically to
“European Decision Making”. It determines when
the EU is competent to legislate, and contributes
to the citizens
 Arnaldo Arnaldo, María
 González Gutiérrez, Lidia
Principle of proportionality
Regulates the exercise of powers by the
European Union. It seeks to set actions taken by
the institutions of the Union within specified
bounds. Under this rule, the involvement of the
institutions must be limited to what is necessary
to achieve the objectives of the Treaties.
Art. 5 TREATY
OF LISBON
 Hormías García, Judit
 Sierra Hernández, Ana Mercedes