The European Union (EU) has been enlarging its geographical borders in the last few years and it has been a challenge for the EU bodies to directly have an impact on the citizens of its member states
The European Union (EU) has been enlarging its geographical borders in the last few years and it has been a challenge for the EU bodies to directly have an impact on the citizens of its member states. A need for a democratic legitimacy through a Constitutional platform was seen as a growing need in the European Courts of Justice (ECJ). The initial impacts in regards to a 'constitution in need' were feathered in the previous five treaties but were firmly supported with a treaty establishing the EU Constitution held on October 2004. It made a point to unite the separation between the Union and the citizens through the means of a valid constitution that could portray the democratic legitimacy of the Union. The EU over the years has come to an understanding that, it is only through the means of a constitution that the Parliament could have a direct impact on its citizens. The constitution could be seen as simplifying the complicated treaties and make the decision-making part more transparent to the public. The functions of the constitution could be seen as overseeing the responsibilities and limits of the central EU bodies, the member states and the intermediary authorities. A need for closer relationship with the EU and its citizens was first voiced in the Declaration of the Future of the Union (DFU) in Nice on December, 2000. It was further emphasised in the Laeken European
Discuss the case for and against corporation tax harmonisation
Discuss the case for and against corporation tax harmonisation Corporation tax is a direct levy that companies pay on their profits. Since April 1st 1999 the main rate of corporation tax in the UK has been 30%, but there are also lower rates for smaller companies. At the moment governments have the sole responsibility of setting direct tax rates, while the EU has some influence over the setting of indirect tax rates such as excise duties. However for further European Economic Integration, tax uniformity may be necessary if there is to be a genuinely free movement of goods, services, labour and capital, as provided for in the Single European Act. If tax uniformity does not exist the freedom of movement will be constrained as some regions will have tax advantages over others, and will therefore be more attractive to multinational companies when making plant location decisions. This represents an imperfection in a potentially competitive market Relatively low rates of corporation tax in Eastern European countries give them an unfair advantage in terms of attracting foreign direct investment. This encourages the practice of 'fiscal dumping', and invites the distrust of countries which use tax competition for attracting FDI. Eastern Europe has attracted €140bn FDI since 1990, and this is set to increase quite markedly following the entry into the EU of countries such as Poland
Identify the economy causes of the changing number of trade union members in the UK.
(a) Identify the economy causes of the changing number of trade union members in the UK. There has been a changing structural composition of the workforce showing the relative decline of manufacturing where trade unions have been more strongly supported than in the case of lets say the service sector. The impact of the privatisation which has had a major impact on the numbers employed and thus trade union membership. The impact of employment legislation. Five acts of parliament which have limited picketing rights, weakened the impact of the closed shop, required pre-strike ballots and reduced the immunity of trade unions from legal charges. There has been a growing trend to part-time working, which does not favour trade union membership The state of the macro economy may effect union membership. If the economy is booming, is membership important. If there is a recession and uncertainty over job retention, then membership is seen helpful. Membership will be affected by the changing legal situation on recognised rights of unions. (b) How might the increase in female employment and decrease in male employment be explained? Factors which help to explain the rising female participation ratio include: The structural changes in the UK economy with the relative decline in the primary and secondary sectors of the economy which are ones predominately with male employees given
What is Hazing?
Hazing Hazing is subjecting newcomers to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule. Hazing has always been seen as a secretive campus activity when it comes to fraternities and pledging. As a result, Dr. Mark Taff stated in his article that, "..a series of 168 cases of injuries and deaths related to fraternity hazing activities occurred in the United States between 1923 and 1982". Young college men are being hospitalized and even worse, dying, just for a couple of friends that give them a sense of belonging. The major causes of hazing are the students' wanting a sense of belonging in a big college campus, the college's infrequent knowledge of what occurs in fraternities, and the unwillingness of fraternities to change tradition. Since hazing has been around for more than a century, one cannot expect the practice of hazing to stop all together. It will probably take years before hazing escapes from the fraternity scene. Nevertheless, until an end is put to hazing, solutions can be used to make hazing less common, until it no longer exists. These solutions that may be able to put an eventual stop to hazing, in the long run, are better education about fraternity hazing, stricter laws to prevent hazing from occurring, and more intervention from college administrators. Stories of hazing incidents are all too common in the news media today. It would not be out of the ordinary,
European integration is motivated by Political, Economic and Security consideration and it is the union's intention to be ready for enlargement by the end of 2002.
TASK 1 In short, European integration is motivated by Political, Economic and Security consideration and it is the union's intention to be ready for enlargement by the end of 2002. The most significant power in respect of enlargement is to give its assent to the final treaty of accession. The main aims is to have institutional stability, respect for human rights, the existence of a functioning market economy, the capacity to cope with competitive pressures of market forces and the ability to take on all the obligations of economic and monetary union. The Enlargement process involves: * Free movement of goods * Freedom to provide services * Free movement of capital * Free movement of persons * Company law * Social and employment policy * Regional and structural policy * Environment * External relations * Competition policy * Transport policy * Taxation * Agriculture * Financial control * Financial and budgetary provisions The countries of Eastern & Central Europe are not only of interest due to their market potential but also because they can be expected to attract interest in relation to investments in the future. Even without membership, the Eastern European states are building a stronger trading relationship with the EU. There will be no limits to the opportunities presented when the development of the markets in these countries takes place. The
2. Main Body
2. Main Body 2.1 Question 1: Enlargement is/has been one of the milestones of the process towards a strong European Union. 2.1.1 What criteria and processes exist for joining the European Union. The EU has to be very strict with the accession of new member states, because this is a big responsibility for the Union and also for the new members. For the majority of the countries entering in the Union is one of their main objectives. This is due to the rights and helps they receive and above all the enormous development they will experience. But the access to the European Union will happen when the associated country may assume the obligations of the member states by satisfying the economic and political conditions which are required. The EU leaders set in 1993 in the Copenhagen European Council a list of criteria that the newcomers must meet. According to this list the new member states must have:1 * Stability of Institutions: guaranteeing the rule of law, democracy, human rights and protection and respect for minorities. * The aptitude to take on the obligations of the EU Members (this means to realise a effective application of the EU´s rules and policies). * To possess a functioning market economy that can cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the Union. The new members have to follow a negotiation process to access to the
To what extent has control of the economic policy passed from British Governments to non-elected bodies both home and abroad?
To what extent has control of the economic policy passed from British Governments to non-elected bodies both home and abroad? The Government was traditionally in tight control over the economic policy for the country but over time the governments powers have become eroded and devolved to other non-elected bodies. The Bank of England's importance rose after 1975 and has increased steadily over the years. After Labour's landslide victory in 1997 on the 7th of May they gave the Bank of England operational independence, which empowered them even more. This gave the Bank of England control over interest rates through the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which is made up of five members from the Bank of England and four experts appointed by the Chancellor. The advantages of this are that economic experts and not amateur politicians formulate the monetary policy. It also removes political pressures, which enables a greater co-operation between the Bank of England and other central banks. This also means interest rates are depoliticised and increases the bank's credibility with the market. Although the bank has a degree of control in reality the government still has some constraints over them. The Prime Minister, for example, appoints the Governor (currently Mervyn King) and the Chancellor appoints most members of the MPC. The MPC have to publish details of their interventions with
EU actorness in relation to Environment policy and Development policy: An evaluation.
Lynda Curtis EU actorness in relation to Environment policy and Development policy: An evaluation. "The sheer size of the European Union in economic, trade and financial terms makes it a world player. The EU has a web of bilateral and multilateral agreements covering most countries and regions of the globe."1 The European Union today faces global responsibilities and challenges. The EU is the largest trading block in the world, the largest donor of humanitarian and development assistance and a constant point of reference for others on stability, democracy and human rights2. Although the European Union institutions play a huge part in the day-to-day affairs of the states inside of the Union this report will assess the EU's role in relation to the area outside of the European Union borders. I will look firstly at the different criteria by which it can be established that the EU is indeed an actor I will then look closer at how the EU acts externally in two policy areas; Environmental policy and Development policy. I will conclude with an assessment of the European Union as an actor outside of the EU area. How do we define Europe as an external actor? There are deemed to be certain prerequisites to distinguish 'actorness' in a state. In order to call the EU an actor there must be commitment at EU level to a set of values and principles, both political and moral, accepted
Who other than the governments of state, do you consider to be significant actors in the contemporary international system?
Who other than the governments of state, do you consider to be significant actors in the contemporary international system? There are many actors in the modern international system ranging from major international political organisations such as the UN and NATO to less sizable, yet in their own way no less important, institutions such as Greenpeace and other pressure groups. In this essay I hope to identify the political groups that have played a part in recent global politics and then evaluate any potential claim to being a 'significant actor'. United Nations After the treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of the First World War an organisation called the League of Nations was established. This was a largely ineffectual organisation that had the intentions of preventing major world conflict occurring again. It stood by powerless in the pre-Second World War years when it allowed Germany to pursue its expansionist aims, leading to the start of the first total war. In the final days of the Second World War at the San Francisco conference the United Nations was established in the hope of preventing another major world conflict between members by connecting them in almost a 'world government'. It acts on a 'multi-layered system of governance sometimes working with states, sometimes alongside them, and sometimes apart form them.' (Baylis & Smith, 1997). The central system is
Why is Britain hesitating about membership of EMU and what are the main issues?
International Relations: Why is Britain hesitating about membership of EMU and what are the main issues? On Friday January 1st 1999, "European dreamers finally saw their cherished hope become reality at midnight when 11 countries signed away their sovereignty over monetary policy and the single currency was born".1 However, with the mass jubilation that followed the commencement of the final stage of Economic and Monetary Union within the European Union, there were still some sour notes amid the rhetoric. One included the argument from France that Wim Duisenberg (president of the European Central Bank) should step down in favour of a French president; the other major argument was the claim by Jacques Santer, European Commission president at the time, that Britain's membership of the single currency was inevitable. So why, 4 years later, has this "inevitability" not come into fruition? In order to answer such a question, one must derive first the meaning of EMU. Economic and Monetary Union has been a European ideal for many years. The end of the Second World War heralded the start of a new European surge towards integration. On the one hand, France, left in ruins by occupation from Germany, held a hereditary fear of any further European conflict. As the dust settled, Charles de Gaul emerged as the leader of the Provisional Government of the French Republic. De Gaul
