EU

• Aims of EU

  To promote peace, Reducing the likelihood of another conflict like WW2.

  ◦ Economic and monetary union, with the currency the euro (€) at its centre.

  
  

  Enlargement

  ◦ Creating a large and influential trading bloc. Now has 27 members.

  ◦ Fear that the EU's population could increase with new members such as Turkey and Ukraine was part of the UK's decision to vote to leave in 2016.

  
  

  Social policy

  ◦ Increasing workers' rights, limited working hours and minimum wages. this also increased costs to businesses.

  
  

  Political union

  ◦ Has an executive, legislature and judiciary.

  
  

  In order for a state to become a member of the EU, it has to fulfil certain social and economic goals, such as a free-market economy, a stable democracy and the rule of law, and the acceptance of all EU legislation.
• Four freedoms?

  ◦ Free movement of people

  ◦ Free movement of goods

  ◦ Free movement of capital

  ◦ Free movement of services
• What is the role of EU in policy making?

  ◦ Negotiating EU treaties

  ◦ Treaties are the legal documents that set out the powers of EU institutions.

  ◦ Heads of State, the European Council, commit their countries to join the treaty

  ◦ It then goes to the European Parliament, before being ratified by each member state

  ◦ Implementing directives and regulations

  Directive: a goal that all EU members should strive towards. Regulation: binding on all EU members immediately.
• What are the impacts of EU on the UK?

  - Governing: UK elected MEPs to the European Parliament where legislation is created. legislation emerged from outside UK parliament.

  - Parties: UKIP and the Brexit Party were established to push for the UK's exit from the EU.

  - Policy: Conservatives have won elections with policies of leaving EU and reduce European integration.

  - Sovereignty: many argue that membership of the EU parliamentary sovereignty and takes national sovereignty away from the UK.

  - Devolution: a complicated arrangement resulted from Brexit as England and Wales voted to leave, and Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.

  - Public Opinion: Eurosceptics have been existent in both the Labour and Conservative parties since the UK joined the EU

  - Citizens' rights: The Human Rights Act enshrined the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in UK law, which was drafted by the European union
• What happened with the eu refferendum?

  Campaigning was fierce, with Farage, Boris Johnson + Michael Gove leading 'Leave' campaign. Lib Dems, SNP and Labour championed the 'Remain' campaign, but to no avail,

  52% voted to leave EU.

  
  

  PM David Cameron immediately resigned and was replaced by Theresa May, struggled with her premiership, she called an early general election in 2017 led to the Conservatives losing their parliamentary majority.

  
  

  first Brexit deal was presented to Parliament 2019. rejected by 230 votes, largest vote against a British government in history. May tried to pass the deal on two further occasions, but to no success. She resigned as Prime Minister in June 2019, and was replaced by Boris Johnson. Johnson was keen to 'Get Brexit Done', and re-negotiated the deal with the European Union. In order to pass the deal through parliament, Johnson chose to hold an early general election in December 2019, in which the Conservatives won a huge 365 seats, a majority of 80. This ensured that the deal passed parliament, and the UK left the European Union on 31st January 2020.
• What were the post-refferendum relations?

  part of the withdrawal deal, a transition period was set to last until the end of 2020 new post-Brexit arrangements received particularly poorly in NI, DUP refusing to take their seats in the NIA until arrangements were changed to their satisfaction, Stormont has not sat since.

  
  

  UK + EU still enjoy a close relationship; both are parties of the G20, and the UK hosted the G7 in 2021.

  Critics say that the decision to leave the EU was unwise, as they are the UK's largest trading partner, and leaving has only complicated an otherwise strong relationship. However, others argue that the decision to leave has given the UK more control over their own treaties, exemplified by the decision in 2023 to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPacific Partnership (CPTPP), which strengthens economic ties with countries like Canada, Australia, Japan and Singapore.