I. European Union

Structure of the Chapter:

Introduction:

After studying this chapter, students should be able to describe the origins and development of the European Union and the major bodies of the European Union.

 

Key Words:

Treaty - formal agreement made and signed between nations
Objective - something which you plan to do or achieve
Promote - help to organise and start, help the progress of, to encourage
Bogg down - be unable to make progress, be stuck fast
Neglect - give no or not enough care to something/someoner
Appoint - choose for a post
Budget - a financial plan of probable future incomes and expenditures over a certain period of time
Handle - to deal with, have responsibility for or be in charge of
Matter - a subject or situation which is being dealt with or considered
Proposal - a suggestion, plan or purpose
Impact - a powerful effect that something has on a situation or person
Embody - to include, comprise
Flaw - to cause something not to be perfect
Expenditure – spending or using, amount expended

Pre-reading Tasks:

What do you think the conditions for a country to join the EU are?
Do you know how many members the EU currently has? 
Do you think the EU is a good idea?

Specialist text:

The treaty establishing the European Community was signed in Rome on 25 March 1957(the Treaty of Rome), and the Community came into being at the beginning of 1958. The main objective of the original six member states was to promote economic development by removing the barriers to trade between them. As they gradually succeeded in bringing this about they were joined by other countries.

The EU must make decisions about many areas of policy without, on the one hand, being bogged down in the process of consultation, or on the other neglecting the needs and views of member states and numerous lobbies and interest groups. Decisions must be made about what policy shall be (primary legislation) and how it should work in detail (secondary legislation). Several institutions are involved in this process, of which the two most important are the Commission and the Council. The European Commission is presided over by 20 Commissioners. They are appointed by agreement between the member governments, but are required to act in the interests of the EU and not individual member states. The Commission employs roughly 16,000 officials and they work in special services such as the legal department and the statistical office, or in Directorates General which are concerned with policy areas. Thus there is a Directorate General for Economic and Monetary Affairs, another for the EU Budget, another for the Environment etc. and each is the responsibility of one of the Commissioners. The Agriculture Directorate General is among the larger ones. The Commission is responsible for proposing primary legislation, it handles the day-to-day administration of EU laws and policies resulting from this primary legislation, and may enact secondary legislation in order to do so. It represents the EU in its relations with non-member states and other international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation. The Council of the European Union (The Council of Ministers) is the major legislative body of the EU and is the final decision-making body for all primary legislation. It consists of a minister from each member state, depending on the subject under discussion: agriculture ministers for agricultural matters, finance ministers for financial matters etc. The chair is held by an individual country for a six-month period and rotates from country to country in alphabetical order, according to the name of each country in its national language. The European Parliament represents the EU´s citizens and is directly elected by them for a period of five years. For most new law proposals the Council is required to receive the opinion of the European Parliament before making decision. The Parliament nominates a committee which produces a report on the proposal which may then be debated by a plenary session of the Parliament before becoming the Opinion which is passed on to the Council. The Parliament also has considerable indirect impact on the formulation of policy through its questioning of members of the Commission. Community law is thus primary and secondary legislation produced by the Council and the Commission, together with the law embodied in the Treaty of Rome and the various treaties of accession to the Community. It takes precedence over national law. It is the responsibility of the Court of Justice to decide whether or not EU legislation has been correctly applied, is being applied or is flawed. The Court of Auditors exists to audit the expenditure of the EU and to ensure that its finances are properly managed.

Comprehension questions:

  1. By what treaty and when was the European Community established?
  2. What are the most important bodies of the EU?
  3. What is the European Commission responsible for?
  4. What institution is the major legislative body of the EU and for how long is the chair by individual countries held?
  5. What is the Court of Justice responsible for?
  6. What is the role of the Court of Auditors?

Activities:

I. Complete the table with the noun or verb which has been omitted:

VERB NOUN
  appointment
discuss  
  independence
  decision
  accession
propose  
nominate  
audit  
  management
apply  

II. Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

  1. The European Union must make decisions about a lot of areas of policy with being stuck fast in the process of consultation.
  2. The European Parliament is presided over by 20 Commissioners.
  3. Commissioners are appointed by agreement between the member governments.
  4. The Commission is responsible for handling EU laws administration.
  5. The Council of Ministers is the final decision-making body for all primary legislation.
  6. The Court of Justice is the major legislative body of the European Union.
  7. The chair of the Council of Ministers is held for a five month period.
  8. The Court of Justice must decide whether or not the EU legislation has been correctly applied.
  9. The expenditure of the European Union is audited by the Court of Auditors.
  10. The main aim of the original member states was to support economic development.

III. Fill in the correct prepositions:

Since the EU is a partnership l) ... the member states, it makes its decisions 2) ... negotiations 3) ... a series of committees. The annual review 4) ... agricultural prices is a good illustration 5) ... this process. The initiation of primary legislation is normally the responsibility 6) ... the European Commission. The first moves are made 7) ... the appropriate department 8) ... the Agriculture directorate, usually 9) ... consultation 10) ... national civil cervants, members of trade associations and independent experts. Other Commission departments 11) ... a legitimate interest 12) ... the proposals are consulted 13) ... an early stage, since agricultural policy measures might affect negotiations 14) ... external trade or monetary affairs. 15) ... the time the draft proposals are nearing completion the pressure groups make their views known 16) ... the European Commission.

IV. Write synonyms for the following words:


V. Match the antonyms:

1) individual   a) neglectable
2) after   b) cheap
3) useful   c) before
4) employ   d) minor
5) costly   e) general
6) major   f) useless
7) few   g) drawbacks
8) join   h) sack
9) benefits   i) leave
10) important   j) many


VI. Quiz

Look at the sentences below and choose the right answer.
1. The greatest success of the Single market programme was the
  1. response
  2. removal
  3. replacement
of barriers to the free movement of goods.
2. The European Parliament plays a decisive role in the
  1. approval
  2. appointment
  3. appreciation
of the European Commission.
3. Since the EU is a partnership of the member states, it makes its
  1. directives
  2. divisions
  3. decisions
by negotiations in a series of committees.
4. The Council of Ministers
  1. consists of
  2. consists in
  3. consists at
a minister from each member state.
5. The European Commission has the right to make
  1. proposals
  2. plans
  3. positions
for legislation.
6. The Court of
  1. Judiciary
  2. Justice
  3. Just
ensures that Community law is not interpreted differently in the various member states. 7. The Court of Auditors has to be consulted on any legislation with
  1. imposition
  2. implementation
  3. implications
8. Several institutions are involved in the decision-making process,
  1. of what
  2. of which
  3. whose
the two most important are the Commission and the Council.
9. The European Commission
  1. embraces
  2. employs
  3. entitles
16,000 officials, of whom about one-quarter are translators
10. Meetings of the Council are often complicated and lengthy and so require detailed
  1. representation
  2. preparation
  3. restriction

Summary:

The chapter deals with the origins and development of the European Union and the major institutions of the EU. Students should practise terminology of this topic in a specialist text, comprehension questions and in number of activities together with a final quiz.

Literature:

Kocmanová: Angličtina Evropské unie, Nakladatelství Ostrov, Praha 2004
H. Janouškovcová: English for the European Union, ČZU PEF Praha 2000



Checks:

Comprehension Check:

  1. by the Treaty of Rome on 25th March 1957
  2. the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors
  3. primary legislation proposals, handling EU laws administration, enacting secondary legislation, representing the EU in its relations with non-member states and other international bodies
  4. The Council of the EU( the Council of Ministers), six months
  5. correct application of EU legislation
  6. proper management of EU finances

Check I:

Verb: appoint, depend, decide, access, manage
Noun: discussion, proposal, nomination, audit, application

Check II:

F, F, T, T, T, F, F, T, T, T

Check III:

1) of, 2) by, 3) in, 4) of, 5) of, 6) of, 7) by, 8) in, 9) in, 10) with, 11) with, 12) in, 13) at, 14) on, 15) by, 16) to

Check IV:

to be established/ to be set up, to support, step by step, to manage, to be included in, vital, realise, considerable, manage/direct, expenses

Check V:

1e, 2c, 3f, 4h, 5b, 6d, 7j, 8i, 9g, 10a

Check VI:

1.b, 2.b, 3.c, 4.a, 5.a, 6.b, 7.c, 8.b, 9.b, 10.b