The Institutional Structure: The European Balance of Powers

Extract

[...] II)The European parliament : the progression of its powers The European parliament almost had no power. The deputies were chosen from national representatives and had to control part of the budget and the expenses of the resources belonged to the states: nobody wanted to give powers to the parliament, had no authority, only an advisory power. The Commission was compelled to take their arguments into account but they were only opinions no binding power). Until the Single European Act, it almost had no power. [...]

[...] The 2 principal actors become the Parliament and the Council, and decisions will be made without the Commission (after 1992). Conciliation will be done, with a vote in both the Parliament and the Council, if the Council does not agree with the parliamentary decisions, if there is no agreement after that vote, the project is rejected. 6/7 At the end, we can see that the EU parliament has finally obtained a full vital power, as the Council has always had. [...]

[...] ⇒ It occured one time, in 1966 = De Gaulle wanted a Europe of nations, he didn't wanted an integrated Europe and the JM model, so in 1965 FR decided to follow an empty chair policy suddenly they would be no french minister in the negotiations = DG decided that bc the majority rule was to be implemented. ⇒ European institutions were completely blocked. Of course in theory, they could have decided alone but in practice FR was one of the two major partners in Europe, you couldn't do anything without one of them. [...]

[...] You have an authority suddenly deciding that the terms of the debate are no longer appropriate and that there are no longer brackets = this is the project, whether you take it or don't have anything stronger power of the commission in the decision making system. This weapon is not conceived to be used everyday, actually it functions rather as a deterrence weapon (arme de dissuasion). Bc the state knows that they cannot make crazy amendments or go too far otherwise the commission will stop it the states will moderate their national tendency to ask for a specific amendment. [...]

[...] There were struggle for years : Forces wanted northern Ireland to border between the 2 : military everywhere. People died at the border. Little by little the problem calmed down but terrorism was still a problem until the 80's. Explosion : hotel of M. Thatcher organized by the terrorists. 90's : pressure slowly calmed down, arm groups finally dread to renounce their weapons and peace was brought. → treaty : good Friday agreement which destroyed the border between the 2 Irelands. [...]