This lesson investigates the European Union, an essential
milestone of Europe's political integration. You will learn
about the pillar structure of the EU and how the Union functions
under different pillars, e.g. how power is shared and decisions
are made according to supranationalism and intergovernmentalism.
Before concluding this lesson you can take a self-test to check
your knowledge. Finally, an interactive timeline gives you an
overview of how the Union has expanded over the years. Note:
Copyright holder of the photo used in this lesson is European
Communities.
Objectives
After completing this lesson you will be able to recall how the
European Union was created, describe the Union's pillar
structure, and differentiate between supranationalism and
intergovernmentalism in the Union.
1992 saw the signing of another founding treaty,
the Maastricht Treaty. Formally known as the
Treaty on European Union (TEU), it
created the European Union and entered into
force on 1 November 1993.
The pillar structure of the EU
With the creation of the European Union, Europe
achieved political integration. This upgraded
integration includes the cooperation between the
Member States also in the field of the common
foreign and security policy and in the field of
judicial and home affairs.
The
Maastricht Treaty divided the policies into
three main areas, called pillars. The
European Union of today thus looks like a Greek
or Roman temple.
(Click image
to enlarge)
The pillars explained
I European Communities (EC)
The first pillar is made up of Community law. It
features provisions governing the operation of
the internal market, which provide for the
implementation of the four fundamental freedoms
of movement.
II Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
The second pillar represents a common security
and foreign policy (where "security"
has nothing to do with how the
"police" understand this term; it is
rather about the cooperation of MS in the field
of defence).
III Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal
Matters (PJCC)
The third pillar concerns cooperation in the
fight against crime. This pillar was originally
named 'Justice and Home Affairs'.
As for the first pillar, MS have transferred their
sovereignty in societal and state matters to the rule of
Community law because in this way they can better
regulate the operation of these areas. This is
supranational integration, which is unique in the
contemporary world. The rules of the game in the first
pillar are dictated by the TEC.
With regard to the second and third pillar, the MS have
retained their sovereignty and "decide" as
they go along — with unanimity, of course
— on how much of this sovereignty they are
prepared to give up and transfer to the EU level for the
benefit of the common policy. In doing this, countries
are not always very generous. This is seen in a number
of cases in which the EU does not have a common foreign
policy (e.g. the war in Iraq).
Toward increased supranationalism
Within each pillar, a different balance is
struck between supranationalism (MS share
power with the union, decisions are made by
majority votes) and intergovernmentalism
(power is possessed by the MS, decisions are
made by unanimity).
Supranationalism
is strongest in the first pillar.
Originally, its function generally corresponded
to the three European Communities whose
organisational structure had already been
unified in the 1960s. Later, through the TEU,
the word "economic" was removed from
the EEC, rendering it simply the EC. Then, with
the Amsterdam Treaty (1997), additional areas
would be transferred from the third pillar to
the first.
The balance struck in the first pillar is frequently
referred to as the "Community method",
since it is one used by the European Community. In the
second and third pillar, the powers of the European
Parliament, the Commission and the European Court of
Justice with respect to the Council are significantly
limited, without however being altogether eliminated.
Amendments introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam and the
Treaty of Nice made the additional pillars
increasingly supranational. Most important among
these has been the transfer of policy on asylum,
migration and judicial cooperation in civil matters to
the Community pillar. Thus, the third pillar has been
renamed 'Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal
Matters', or PJCC. The term 'Justice and Home Affairs'
is still used to cover both the third pillar and the
transferred areas.
Self-test
Test your knowledge by answering a few questions before
moving on to the conclusion of this lesson.
Conclusion
Finally, let us see how a community of six countries has
grown to a union of nearly 30. Click on a year to see
the countries involved in a particular enlargement.
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