The European Community

The European Community

Love it or hate it…..

Love it of hate it the European Union is here to stay and it has a major influence on all of us. Decisions made in the European Commission and the European Parliament can and do affect the way we live our lives and run our businesses so we thought it might be worth getting to know about the EU. In these pages on the Cumbria Business Portal we will explore how it impacts on our lives and businesses and how we can take advantage of many of the projects and programmes that are created by the EU.
 
A recent survey reveals that in the North West
75% say they know nothing about the EU, its policies or its institutions
65% would like more information on what the EU does
59% of people in the region think there are only 20 member states in the EU
35% think that Turkey is already a member
 
So perhaps we should start with some facts about the EU and how it is organised.

The European Union - How is it structured?

The EU operates through a number of institutions, which were created by treaties.
These institutions are;
The European Council
The Council of Ministers
The European Commission
The European Parliament
The European Courts
The European Economic and Social Committee
The Committee of the Regions
The European Central Bank
The European Investment Bank

The European Council

The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union. The ministers of the Member States meet within the Council of the European Union and depending on the issue on the agenda, each country will be represented by the minister responsible for that subject (foreign affairs, finance, social affairs, transport, agriculture, etc.) The Council is headed by a President, the presidency of the Council is held for six months by each Member State on a rotational basis.

The Council is responsible for decision-making and co-ordination

The Council of the European Union passes laws, usually legislating jointly with the European Parliament and it co-ordinates the broad economic policies of the Member States.
It defines and implements the EU's common foreign and security policy, this being based on guidelines set by the European Council and it concludes, on behalf of the Community and the Union, international agreements between the EU and one or more states or international organisations. The Council also co-ordinates the actions of Member States and adopts measures in the area of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters. The Council and the European Parliament constitute the budgetary authority that adopts the Community's budget.

The Member States

There are twenty five member states to the European Union. Each member state has votes which it can cast on the way the EU is governed, its laws and regulations etc. The number of votes each member state has is set out in Treaties. The treaties also define cases in which a simple majority, a qualified majority or unanimity are required and of course certain member states hold a veto.
 
Distribution of votes for each Member State (from 01/11/2004)

The Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers is the most important decision-making body in the EU and its main task is to approve European laws. Although it is a single institution, the Council can meet in a variety of configurations such as the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin).
 
These councils are formed by ministers from each member state and are made up of ministers who usually have a national responsibility for the subject under discussion.
For example, if the proposed legislation concerned agriculture, the UK would send its Minister for Agriculture if it was to do with Finance and taxation then the Finance Minister would attend, for the UK that would be the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The member state holding the Presidency is responsible for organising the business of the Council, assisted by a permanent secretariat based in Brussels.

The European Commission

The European Commission implements the agenda set by the European Council.
The Commission does this by developing and drafting legislation or other non-legislative measures and monitoring implementation. The European Commission is the equivalent of our civil service and it is based in Brussels. It is organised in 24 directorates, each led by a European Commissioner and each member state currently nominates one Commissioner, who has a particular area of responsibility for a five year term, such as agriculture or trade. The President of the European Commission oversees the work carried out by those commissioners. The Commission acts as the guardian of the treaties, and has a duty to ensure that member states respect the treaties and community law, and that they implement adopted legislation.

The European Parliament

Above is a photo of one of the European Parliament Buildings in Brussels, Belgium and below to the right is the Parliament building in Strasbourg.   One of the downsides of the European Parliament is an old treaty that stipulates that the Parliament meets in both Brussels and Strasbourg, as you can imagine its a costly affair to transport all the documentation and MEP's from one place to another every month, so moves are afoot to change this. But don't hold your breath!

The European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg. The members of the European Parliament (MEP's) are elected directly for a five-year term by the populations of the member states, in much the same way as we elect our parliament except that in the EU a system of proportional representation rather than first past the post is used.   The next elections for the European Parliament take place in 2009 and currently there are 732 MEP's of which the UK has 78, and once elected the MEP's sit in seven political groups rather than in national delegations.   Typically, as in our own Parliament much of their work is done in smaller committees of MEP's, which prepare reports for consideration by the full Parliament.   Members of the European Parliament consider most of the laws proposed by the Commission before submission to the Council of Ministers, monitor the actions of other EU bodies, approve the EU's budget, and hold the Commission to account. European Parliament Buildings - Strasbourg

The European Courts

Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice is based in Luxembourg and each member country sends a judge to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). There are therefore 25 judges (one for each country) who are assisted by nine Advocates General. The court exists to ensure that laws passed at a European level are applied and interpreted correctly, however, some areas (notably the common foreign and security policy - CFSP) are outside its jurisdiction. In certain circumstances individuals can also bring proceedings against EU institutions before the ECJ.

Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors' role is to check that the EU's funds, which come from the taxpayers, are spent legally, economically and for the intended purpose. The Court of Auditors is based in Luxembourg and has the right to audit any organisation, body or company which handles EU funds.

The European Economic and Social Committee

The European Economic and Social Committee has 344 members and represent a wide range of interests: from employers to trade unionists, consumers to ecologists. The Committee is an advisory body which must give its opinion on proposed EU decisions about such matters as employment, social spending and vocational training.

The Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions is seen as "the local representative" and it is consulted on upcoming EU decisions with a direct impact at the local or regional level in areas such as transport, health, employment or education. The Committee has 344 members who are often leaders of regional governments or mayors of cities.

The European Central Bank

The ECB is based in Frankfurt and is responsible for managing the Euro which is now the official currency of the European Union, however, not all member states have entered into the single currency. (the UK being one of them) — The ECB works in much the same way as the Bank of England for example, by setting interest rates. Its prime concern is ensuring price stability so that the European economy is not damaged by inflation. The Bank takes it decisions independently of governments and other bodies.

The European Investment Bank

The EIB lends money for projects of European interest, particularly in the less well-off regions. It's role is to finance infrastructure projects such as rail and road links, airports or environmental schemes. The EIB also provides credit for investments by small businesses (SMEs). Based in Luxembourg the bank also lends to candidate states and developing countries and because it is owned by the EU governments, the bank is able to raise capital and provide credits at favourable rates.

What does the EU Cost?

It is estimated that the real direct cost of the EU to the UK is about £50.00 per person per year.
 
The benefit of being a member of the EU has also been estimated at around £300.00 per person per year to the UK economy as a whole, through increased trade, lower cross border costs etc. So, membership is a good financial investment for the UK.

Who is my representative in the EU?

Sir Robert ATKINS, (Conservative)
Chris DAVIES, (Liberal Democrat)
Den DOVER, (Conservative)
Sajjad KARIM, (Liberal Democrats)
Arlene McCARTHY, (Labour)
Brian SIMPSON, (Labour)
David SUMBERG, (Conservative)
Gary TITLEY, (Labour)
John WHITTAKER, (UKIP)
 
Currently Chris Davies MEP has responsibility for Cumbria.
 
His contact details are
 
Chris Davies MEP
Constituency Office
87A Castle Street
STOCKPORT
SK3 9AR
Tel: 0161-477 7070
Email: chrisdaviesmep@cix.co.uk
Web: http://www.chrisdaviesmep.org.uk/
 
To find out more on the other North West MEPs go to http://www.europarl.europa.eu