I. Historical evolution
European integration began after the Second World War. 1950 On May 9, French Foreign Minister Schumann proposed to German Chancellor Adenauer that the coal and steel production of the two countries should be managed by a supranational high-level institution and open to other countries. This proposal was echoed by Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. 195 1 08 April 18, the six countries signed the European Coal and Steel Joint Venture Treaty in Paris, and formally established the "European Coal and Steel Consortium"; 1957 On March 25th, the six countries signed the European Economic Treaty and the European Atomic Energy Treaty in Rome, collectively known as the Treaty of Rome, and decided to establish the European Economic Treaty and the European Atomic Energy Treaty in June 5438+07. On July 1967 and 1, the six countries formally merged the Council of Ministers and the Committee of European Economy, EURATOM and EURATOM, which were collectively called European Economy.
19911February 9, the EU held a special summit in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and signed the Treaty on European Economic and Monetary Union and the Treaty on European Political Union, commonly known as the Mayo, 1993 165438.
The EU has expanded five times in history: 1973 65438+ 10 1, which absorbed Britain, Denmark and Ireland; 198 1 year 1 month 1 day to accept Greece; 1 986 65438+1October1absorbed Spain and Portugal; 1 995 65438+1October1,the EU expanded for the fourth time, and Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the EU; On June 5438+February, 2002, the EU concluded its accession negotiations with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus, and confirmed that the above-mentioned 10 countries will officially take place on May 2004 1 day and April 2003 16.
Second, organization.
The EU has five main institutions, namely, Council of Europe, the Council of the EU, Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. Other important institutions include the European Court of Audit, the European Central Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Economic and Social Commission, the regional commissions, the European Police Office and the European Armament Bureau.
The meeting of the European Council (usually called the EU Summit or the EU Summit) is the highest decision-making body of the EU, consisting of heads of government and heads of state of member States, and the President of the European Commission is also a de facto member of the European Council. The European Council meets at least four times a year, with formal summits in late June and 65438+February, special summits in March and 65438+ 10, and additional summits can be held at other times.
The Council of the European Union (referred to as the Council) is the main decision-making body of the European Union, which is composed of ministers of the governments of EU member States. The chairman is rotated by member States for a term of six months. The Council of Ministers is mainly responsible for formulating EU laws and regulations and major policies on EU development and institutional reform. Responsible for intergovernmental cooperation and coordination with foreign and security policies, justice and internal affairs; Appoint and supervise the heads of major EU institutions. The Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union is also the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The current chairman, the next chairman and the senior representative form a "troika". The current Secretary-General and High Representative of the European Council is Spanish Solana.
The European Commission is the only institution in the EU that has the right to draft laws and regulations. Its main responsibilities are: to implement relevant EU treaties, regulations and decisions formulated by the Council of the European Union; Submit policy implementation reports and legislative motions to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament; Handle the daily affairs of the EU and negotiate on behalf of the EU in foreign relations and trade. The Committee is headquartered in Brussels for a five-year term. Council of Europe was appointed within six months after each European Parliament election. It is politically responsible to parliament, which has the right to dissolve it through impeachment Committee.
The European Parliament is the only multinational parliament directly elected in the world and the only institution directly elected in the European Union. In addition to the legislative power of the European Council, the European Parliament also has the power of democratic supervision and the decision-making power of the EU budget.
Council of Europe and the Council of Ministers are intergovernmental bodies of the European Union, and the Council of Ministers is the main legislative body of the European Union, which mainly represents the interests of member States. The European Commission and the European Parliament are supranational institutions of the EU, which mainly represent the overall interests of the EU. Among them, the commission is the executive organ of the European Union, similar to the government of a sovereign country; The European Parliament has certain legislative power, budgetary power and consultation and supervision power; The European Court of Justice is the highest court in the EU, which mainly guarantees the effective implementation of EU laws from the judicial perspective.
Third, internal construction.
(1) Economic field
The process of EU economic integration begins with the customs union, and finally moves towards a comprehensive economic and monetary union by implementing the * * * common market and unifying the big market.
1 968 July1day, the EU achieved a customs union. 1In June, 1985, the European Commission formally proposed to complete the white paper on the internal unified big market, and proposed to establish a unified big market without borders in Europe, so as to truly realize the free circulation of people, goods, capital and services. 1985 65438+In February, the Committee's White Paper was approved by the Council. 1 99365438+1October1,the European single market was officially launched, and goods, funds, services and people began to circulate freely within EU member States.
In order to consolidate the industrial customs union and agricultural policy and avoid excessive exchange rate fluctuations, Europe formally established the European monetary system on March 1979+03, laying the foundation for the emergence of a single currency. 1In June, 1989, the European Madrid Summit adopted the Report on Realizing the European Economic and Monetary Union, which clearly stated the goal of implementing the economic and monetary union in three stages from July, 1990. 19911February European Maastricht Summit defined the ultimate goal, ways and time limit of economic and monetary union. On June 65438+1 October1day, 2002, euro banknotes and coins were officially circulated. On March 1 day, the original currency of the euro zone countries stopped circulating, and the euro officially became the only legal tender in the euro zone countries. There are 12 countries in the euro zone.
The emergence of the euro has made the financial markets and stock transactions in European countries more integrated, and Europe's position and role in the international financial and monetary system have also been strengthened. The status of the euro as an international clearing, trading and reserve currency directly challenges the hegemonic position of the dollar, thus contributing to the development of a multipolar world economically.
(2) Political field
Although post-war European integration started from the economic field, it had obvious political goals from the beginning. Only because of the sensitivity of member countries to the so-called high political fields and the difficulty of sovereignty transfer in these fields, political alliance has always been only a verbal goal.
In 1970s, European political integration made some achievements and formed a set of "European political cooperation" mechanism. Although this mechanism is independent of European institutions and has obvious intergovernmental nature, it has opened up political cooperation in Europe after all. In addition, the European Parliament held its first direct election in June 1979.
In the mid-1980s, with the recovery of European integration, the goal of political union began to reappear. 1986 In February, European countries signed the Single Europe Act, which made legal preparations for the establishment of the European Union in the future. The subsequent Maastricht Treaty and Amsterdam Treaty injected new vitality into the development of European political union. Mayo first proposed that the EU should establish a foreign and security policy. Since then, the Security Council has adopted a * * * stance on foreign policy 70 times and taken * * * actions 50 times, including demining operations in Africa and other regions and sending EU special envoys to crisis areas including the Balkans and the Middle East.
At the summit in June this year, the EU is still expected to adopt the EU Constitution. Although this constitution is not a real sovereign constitution, its bold reform of the internal operation mechanism of the EU has an important impact on ensuring the effective operation of the EU after its eastward expansion, improving the EU's "democratic deficit" and strengthening European consciousness. This is the only way to the United States of Europe.
The eastward expansion has always been an important part of European political integration. The fifth eastward expansion, which will be completed on May 1, is the largest in the history of the European Union. It marks that the division of Europe caused by the Cold War will eventually go to history, and the EU has entered a new period of development, which will have a far-reaching impact on the European pattern and European integration.
(3) security and defense.
In terms of defense, since the 1999 Cologne Summit and Helsinki Summit, EU leaders and people of all countries have believed that the EU needs an independent defense force if it wants to have a "greater voice" in the world and play an important role in international affairs. Although the Iraq war has caused divisions within the EU, with the efforts of France, Germany and other countries, the pace of defense construction in the EU has obviously accelerated. At the end of April, 2003, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium decided to establish a military command organization independent of NATO and establish the core of EU defense. In May, the EU announced that the rapid reaction force has the ability to take military action to deal with the crisis in an emergency in principle. On June 7th, the EU participated in the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Congo led by France, which was the first time that the EU independently conducted military operations outside Europe without using NATO military resources. At the beginning of April, 2004, the EU defense ministers' meeting decided to set up a rapid combat force consisting of 1.500 personnel before 2007, which can be put into combat within 15 days and can fight alone 1.20 days. The EU's takeover of peacekeeping operations in Bosnia from NATO will also be completed in the second half of this year.
In terms of security, at the end of 2003, the EU issued its first security strategy document since its establishment. While emphasizing the importance of peripheral security, the document emphasizes that the EU should strive to improve its military strength and develop a "balanced relationship" with the United States. This is a guiding document for the EU's security and defense construction, which will have a great impact on the EU's independent defense construction in the future. In addition, stimulated by the "3. 1 1" terrorist explosion, the EU has decided to establish a European-wide terrorist database, implement a European-wide arrest warrant as soon as possible, and conduct European-wide surveillance on terrorist suspects. The EU has also established the post of Counter-Terrorism Coordinator to comprehensively coordinate national counter-terrorism policies and measures. Therefore, the "federalization" of EU judicial and domestic cooperation has been strengthened, which will further promote European unity and integration.
Four. foreign relations
The EU has established diplomatic relations with most countries and regions in the world and concluded various economic and trade cooperation agreements. At present, more than 60 countries have sent diplomatic missions to the EU, and the European Commission has also sent delegations to more than 20 countries and international organizations. The purpose of sending these delegations is to develop bilateral relations between the EU and these different countries, publicize EU values, enhance the image of the EU in the world, and let Brussels know the latest development of the host country.
In recent years, the EU's global diplomatic offensive is obvious. On the one hand, the EU has adjusted its relations with the United States and distanced itself from the United States on issues such as the Middle East issue and the reconstruction of Iraq. On the other hand, the EU has strengthened exchanges and cooperation with China, Russian and other countries, and jointly safeguarded the principle of multilateralism in international politics. The EU also holds one or two summit meetings with major partner countries such as the United States, Japan, Russian Federation, Canada and China every year to discuss bilateral economic and trade, environmental protection, combating international crime and drug smuggling, human rights and other issues.
The EU has always attached great importance to improving relations with neighboring countries. While actively expanding eastward, we also strive to strengthen relations with Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries and actively promote cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean countries. The EU's "close neighbor diplomacy" aims to safeguard the security and stability of its neighbors and its vital security interests. In addition, the EU has made full use of various international forums to publicize its ideas, including the United Nations, the Eurasian Conference and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The EU's global diplomacy has greatly enhanced the EU's international "popularity", enhanced its influence on world affairs, and greatly promoted the process of world multipolarization.
After the eastward expansion of the European Union, there may be a long running-in period, as well as setbacks and failures, but this is an important and crucial step towards the unification of the European continent. European integration has never been smooth sailing, and every crisis is a milestone on the road ahead. The development of the situation inside and outside the EU makes the economic and political integration of all countries irreversible, and the EU will surely become an important super political force in the world.