1. 3 aspects of politics
    1. Polity (system): How is the system set up, institutions and organizations, multi-level governance → interaction with political systems of MS, comparison to countries and international organizations
    2. Politics (process): how governments implement laws, how laws get made, decision-making processes, MS success, comparison of MS, ideology
    3. Policy (outcomes): outcomes of decision-making → laws, etc. decisions that are taken within a political system
  2. EU from a Comparative Perspective
    1. Comparative political science: Comparing different political systems
    2. Comparing the EU to: 2 different poles → States & international orgs
      1. International/intergovernmental Organizations
        1. MS delegate a lot of authority to EU but have large role in vetoing
      2. States
        1. Common Market
        2. Central Government
        3. Quasi-constitutional set-up
      3. Federal States
    3. Not easy categorization
      1. authority of EU limited, but strong economic integration
      2. changes in territory
  3. EU is an exception → Graph
    1. Delegation: how much authority does this organization have
    2. Pooling: to what extent do Member States give up their own veto (low = unanimous decisions)
      1. EU MS still have a say
  4. History of European Integration
    1. Context: Post-WW2
      1. Destruction and poverty
      2. rivalry has shaped outcome of wars
      3. Division of Germany → increased tension between western allies & Soviet Union
      4. Ideas present to unify European countries → cooperation
      5. Spinelli: Europe against Authoritarianism, unification on socialist basis
      6. Churchill: United States of Europe → prevent wars, focused on rivalry DE/FR, bring nations closer together
      7. Monnet & Schuman: start off small with economic integration
    2. 1951: Establishment of ECSC → first integration project, reflects Monnet & Schuman
      1. Created a free market for Coal and Steel
      2. Most important sector for militarization & core industries
      3. Europe still very industrial → big impact on prevention & economy
      4. covers France & Germany → ensure mutual control
    3. European Integration
      1. Countries of Europe integrating into a unified body
      2. Delegation of authority to European level → decision-making on European level
      3. Relationship between MS and EU
      4. 3 dimensions:
        1. Enlargement: new MS
        2. Institutional framework: how is EU organized, decision-making & cooperation
        3. Policy Areas: how does authority of EU differ across policy areas
    4. EU over the years:
      1. Spain, Portugal, Greece: joined after dictatorships fell
      2. Finland, Austria, Sweden: (formally) neutral countries → after the fall of the Soviet Union
      3. 2004 expansion: Eastern enlargement → satellite countries
    5. European Treaties
      1. Similar to international treaties, quasi-constitutional meaning → lay out fundamental rules, authority of EU, fundamentals of how EU operates → institutional aspect
      2. attempt to make EU constitution failed due to popular referenda
      3. unanimous support & ratification in each MS
      4. Treaties allow us to trace EU development
      5. More recent treaties: institutional reforms → in anticipation of enlargement, easier to prevent gridlock
      6. Earlier treaties: establishing institutional framework
      7. Different national methods of ratification in MS
      8. important treaties:
        1. Rome: founding of EEC → core of what EU has achieved and what it legislates today
        2. Single European Act (SEA) → sets goals and foundation for today, e.g. free movement of people, capital, services & goods
        3. Maastricht → harmonizes different European communities, names EU
      9. Scope: which policy areas are delegated
      10. Depth:
      11. EU moving towards more delegation
    6. Competencies of EU today
      1. Supporting: EU does not have formal law-making capacity, aid in cooperation between MS, harmonization
        1. Cultural
      2. Shared: both MS and EU
      3. Exclusive: only EU has decision-making power
        1. Economic
      4. Missing: Military, Social policy, Taxation
      5. Efficiency, Policies affecting other MS, to what extent does it affect the core state powers (function of state → military, welfare, taxation)
    7. Depth: Intergovernmentalism vs Supranationalism
      1. Supranationalism: European level, EU-bodies have decision-making power
        1. Cooperation/Codecision
        2. later treaties increase this
      2. Intergovernmentalism: States act in their own interests as separate actors
        1. ensures autonomy of MS, MS cannot be overruled
        2. Consultation
        3. agreement between governments of different states
      3. Depth reflected in decision-making processes
        1. supranational → COM has exclusive right of initiative, EP consent not required, Council qualified majority voting
        2. intergovernmental → MS can initiate, EP consent required, Council needs unanimity (→ single MS has veto power)
  5. Why do Member States delegate authority?
    1. Economic benefit
    2. Unanimous decisions can make decision-making difficult → countries blocking decisions
    3. Unanimity good for decisions with high stakes for individual MS
    4. Efficiency
  6. Theories of European Integration
    1. Neofunctionalism (1958, Haas) → supranational & transnational actors
      1. Functionalism: political systems serve a certain function
      2. spill-over effects of small steps → integrating in one regard creates pressure to integrate in other areas
        1. incentives for adjacent areas / industries
      3. People will create a European identity → will try to pursue this further
    2. Liberal Intergovernmentalism (1998, Moravcsik) → MS governments
      1. MS have veto power & can shape integration process → interests are reflected & MS benefit from integration
      2. economic interests
    3. Postfunctionalism (2009, Hooghe & Marks) → citizens & parties
      1. Accountability of governments to citizens → support for integration dependent on support of the people
      2. Democracy as basis
    4. Decision-making power for integrative steps lies with the MS
    5. Theories follow their time
      1. only elite wants integration
      2. if neofunctionalism true then spillover should take effect everywhere → MS centered explanation & interests in integration
      3. postfunctionalism: tracks change that EU became politicized → not a contentious issue up until 2000s

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