The European Dis-Union

The European Union is an economic and political union established in 1993 after the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty by members of the European Community, which includes twenty-five member states (Gillingham 4). The European Union expanded the political range of the European Community, especially in the areas of foreign and security policy. The Union also created a central European bank and the adoption of a common currency by the end of the 20th century, known as the Euro (Gillingham 63). The main purposes of the European Union include promoting economic and social progress, declaring the identity of the European Union on the international scene, introducing European citizenship, developing an area of freedom, security and justice, and maintain and build on established European Union law (Cafruny and Ryner 300). The purposes seem fair and well said, but there are many disagreements and conflicts within the European Union. Issues and factors currently facing the EU that may impede further integration include its structure, economics, policies and procedures.

Many disagreements arise within the European Union regarding its structural makeup and way of governing. There are no clear boundaries between its main institutions, including the European Commission, European Council, and the European Parliament, and between their powerful affiliated bodies such as the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank (Soetendorp 83-84). These discrepancies are the cause of endless jurisdictional conflict between central authorities and the states, and among the states themselves.

There are several policies and procedures the European Union has established that raise disagreements though out all its members. One of the many concerns is the membership requirements a country needs to have in order to become a part of the Union. Membership criteria requires that the country wanting to join has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities; the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union; the ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic & monetary union (Bretherton and Vogler 38). Certain countries cannot meet some of these requirements, which create problems for those that want to join. The EU styles itself as a "European" organization and has put together geographical conditions of admission for potential new member states in order to stick with the geographical limits that it has placed upon itself to deal with terms of future expansion. The 1992 Maastricht Treaty states that, "any European country that respects the principles of the EU may apply to join" (Gillingham 229). It does not mention the enlarging of the EU to include non-European countries, but past instances of turning down other countries applications suggest that for non-European states it is not possible to achieve membership. However, various definitions of Europe exist so that whether a country is "European" is "subject to political evaluation" by the Commission and more importantly, the Council (Gillingham 229-230). The enlargement of the EU to include other countries also has implications for production, consumption, trade, and the EU budget.

Aside from disagreements concerning membership, policies, and procedures, the European Union has arguments due to its policies on taxation and economic regulations. Under the World Trade Organization (WTO), the EU market remains restricted and agricultural imports into the EU are limited. The European Union agricultural and trade policies are major producers of EU agricultural manufacturing and trade. The European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, also known as CAP, is primarily a nationally controversial farm policy that has shaped EU agriculture. The CAP applies tariffs at the borders of the EU so that imports of most price-supported commodities cannot be sold in the EU below the internal market price set by EU authorities (Bretherton and Vogler 69-70). CAP was not wildly popular within the European Union. It was seen as a waste of funds and the destruction of agricultural products, farmers paid "for doing nothing", as well as the "injustice" of contributions, the imbalance between the amount of their contribution and the insignificance of aid received, and the absence of joint European investments (Bretherton and Vogler 69-70). The CAP is the cause of poor management of funds, ridiculous allocation systems, and excessive, abusive or unfair regulations (Bretherton and Vogler 69-70). The CAP is commonly criticized for misused and deceitful public funds that were set-aside for other purposes and also for being too complex to obtain subsidies (Gillingham