With the European elections now upon us I took the trouble to write a series of small posts to try to explain in detail, but in simple words, what the European Union is, what powers it has, and how our vote as citizens affects it. influence policies. I would like to point out that I will skip the rant that is normally made about the history of the European Union and how it has evolved over time, as it is not very relevant, with the aim of helping to understand the union today. Here and there I could make references to specific events to explain why some traditions and/or rules are as they are, but nothing more. I hope that this work can be useful in clearing up the biggest doubts and confusions about this entity that always appears the more it plays a fundamental role in the lives of all of us. So let’s buckle up and dive headlong into this adventure **Chapter 1** *What is the European Union?* **Chapter 2** *A Tour of the European Institutions* **Chapter 3** *Skills About the Union* **Chapter 4** *How do you make a decision in Europe?* **Chapter 5** *Present and Future of Europe* **Extras** **What is the European Union?* * The European Union is a political and economic union, that is, a political organization between sovereign states (in the case of the EU they are [27](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unione_europea#Stati_membri)) with the aim of achieving certain common objectives through common strategies. The union is based on two fundamental treaties, drawn up in 2014, in Lisbon (the Treaty on European Union [TEU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506-fd71826e6da6.0017.02/DOC_1&format=PDF), and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [TFEU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/IT/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT)) which sanction its functioning, a bit like a constitution (NB, it is not it is a constitution, but unless you are talking to jurists, the difference is small, so for simplicity I will treat them as such). A fundamental characteristic that distinguishes the union from other organizations is its ***supranational*** character (an elusive term, but important for understanding the union), i.e. the union possesses its own sovereign powers which are conferred on it by its member states and is therefore able to make binding decisions for all member states, complete with bodies (the commission and the court of justice of the European Union) responsible for enforcing them. This means that in certain areas and with specific procedures (which we will deal with more specifically at a later time), the union is able to exercise sovereign power (enact laws) which is superior to that of individual member states (Supranational for ‘precisely, if you want to know more I refer you to the doctrine of [Primizia del diritto unionale europeo](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primazia_del_diritto_unionale_europeo)). Obviously the union does not have the power to self-determine in which areas it enjoys this status and therefore lacks the Kompetenz-Kompetenz (i.e. the competence – competence, i.e. the competence to decide on one’s own competences, an example to understand the concept could be that of Italian regions, which have decision-making autonomy in certain areas, but these areas are not chosen by the regions themselves, but by the Italian state, through the constitution), and furthermore they are also granted decision-making areas (such as for example that of defence) where a regime intergovernmental is still used (intergovernmental means the opposite of supranational, i.e. an international system where a decision can be applied if all members approve it unanimously). I will talk more about these competences in chapter 3, but for those curious, they are listed in Article 2 of the TFEU. But in practice, what does the European Union consist of? Let’s try to explain it starting from the diamond tip of the union, i.e. the single market, which is nothing more than a group of states where the free circulation of goods is guaranteed (therefore, no internal customs), services, capital and people (labour market, obtained, in the case of the European Union, also through the Schengen agreements, which however are part of another section of European competences). This means that a citizen of any European member state is free to sell his products in any other member state, to reside wherever he wants in the EU. Furthermore, to protect and regulate this market, the union has common legislation to ensure that the same rules in terms of safety, quality and competition are applied in the same way everywhere, and is also able to choose tariffs (i.e. a tax on foreign imports ) common for all member states. Furthermore, to guarantee the free movement of people, the union establishes that its citizens cannot be discriminated against based on their nationality of origin. This single market is supported by a monetary union (the Eurozone), which has the objective of establishing a common currency, the Euro, which is currently owned by [20](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zona_euro#Stati_dell’Unione_europea_aderenti_alla_zona_euro) member states, and to which all member states of the union (with the exception of Denmark) will have to access sooner or later. Eurozone states therefore committed to abolishing their national currencies in favor of the euro, in order to obtain economic advantages, such as a stronger currency in the world and ease of trade (We will talk more about how the eurozone is administered in the future) The last 2 fields whose existence I want to mention, and which we will talk about later, are those in which the union maintains a more intergovernmental dimension (i.e. where the sovereignty of the member states is almost absolute, and the decisions are mostly taken unanimously), i.e. the JHA (Justice and Home Affairs, i.e. the area of ​​justice and the interior) and the CFSP (Common Foreign and Security Policy, i.e. common security and foreign affairs policy, in which I also include defense, although this is a small inaccuracy, as it presents a CSDP, or a Common Security and Defense Policy, which however follows the CFSP). These areas are the latest to have developed in the European context and therefore are the “news”. The JHA deals with the management of everything that can be included in the Schengen context and almost all member states are part of it (except Ireland and Denmark). In concrete terms, it deals with establishing common migration and asylum policies, with encouraging the cooperation of the various national public security forces (through protocols such as that of [Prum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%BCm_Convention)) or independent organizations such as Europol or the (brand new) European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and to establish guidelines for a narrow set of criminal matters ( Listed in Article 83 of the TFEU) and relating to cross-border crimes such as trafficking in human beings or terrorism. The CFSP and the CSDP instead deal with coordinating the efforts of member states in the field of foreign affairs and defense, through the imposition of community sanctions, the development of common weapons systems (PESCO framework), the provision of humanitarian aid , and the management of intergovernmental forces such as i [gruppi tattici dell’EU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_Battlegroup) o la [Gendarmeria Europea](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forza_di_gendarmeria_europea) (We will talk in detail about the CSFP in chapter 3, if you are impatient there is more info [qui](https://www.esteri.it/en/politica-estera-e-cooperation-allo-sviluppo/politica_europea/dimensione-esterna/sicurezza_comune/)) Ok we have reached the end of this first general smattering on the EU, I hope was useful. If necessary, I’m here to answer questions / correct errors and oversights, and if you have any topics, in addition to those listed in the chapters above, that you would like to explore further, just ask.
https://old.reddit.com/r/italy/comments/1c0j9e3/un_handbook_per_le_elezioni_europee_capitolo_1/
Posted by Lachsis