Making Sense of EU Current Events: How the European Union Got to Where It Is Today

Most Americans feel a sense of closeness with Europeans. We are in sync culturally. We have shared historical experiences. We love many of the same cars, luxury products, and tech gadgets. But do Americans really understand Europe?

For years, we have read about the Common Market, the European Union, the Euro — but do many Americans understand why these were formed, how they developed and what they were designed to do? The news is full of stories about Brexit, populism, and a backlash against migrants, but what is the overall context behind these movements and sentiments? How do these issues fit into the overall picture of Europe in the year 2021?

As a new writer, my humble wish is to use this column to create a space that explores the threads that interweave and make Europe such a fascinating place. Taken separately, there are many pieces of the past and present that are interesting. As we explore more and more pieces, it is my hope that they can become building blocks to create a better understanding of Europe as we find it today.

To start down this journey, it is necessary to be familiar with some key milestones in the life of the EU. In many ways, these tell the story of how Europe rose from the ashes of World War II and reached its current state — with all of its promises and challenges. To be able to understand the present, we need to take a few minutes to visit the recent past: Why was the European Union formed and how did it evolve? After understanding a few fundamental points, we can turn our attention with greater clarity to the challenges that faced by Europe and the European Union as it looks to the future.

In the aftermath of war, Europe faced many daunting challenges.

For those of us in later generations, it is hard to imagine the magnitude of the problems that Europe faced in 1945. In the aftermath of the most destructive war that mankind had ever seen — millions dead and injured, factories and jobs wiped out, widespread economic collapse and hunger, mass homelessness. There was also the new reality of geopolitical competition between the West and the Communist East. Overall, the nations and the people of Europe were traumatized. They found themselves placed between a past that had gone down in flames and an uncertain future.

Out of this landscape of destruction and chaos, there emerged a group of leaders who had a vision for the future. They came from France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States. They dreamed of a Europe secured against the threat of another war and harmonious economically and politically. Americans showed leadership in the creation of NATO and generosity in the Marshall Plan, thereby offering protection to Europe and the financing needed to get recovery underway. For their part, the European leaders of the day planted seeds in the form of new institutions that ushered in the promise of a new political and economic order.

The seeds grew over time to become the European Union. Thanks to the creative vision of this generation of European and American leaders, the framework emerged for a Europe that could build on the foundation and yield more than 70 years of relative stability and prosperity. The founding institutions of this post-war Europe are among the greatest political achievements in modern history.

The Expanding Influence of the EU in the Lives of Member States and Citizens

It is useful to take a step back and review some of the key treaties and agreements that have created the Europe of today. They tell the story of deepening integration of the continent and the expanding role of the central European governing bodies.

MILESTONES IN THE HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Treaty of Paris (1951)

• Founding members: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
• Set up a central body to regulate industries and established a common market for coal and steel.
• It set the template for future European Commision, European Parliament, and European Court of Justice.
• French Prime Minister Robert Schumann and his German counterpart, Konrad Adenauer, were drivers behind this treaty.
• Politically, the immediate goal was to make any future war between France and Germany “unthinkable”. Longer term, it was hoped that the ECSC would mark the birth of a future united Europe.

Treaty of Rome (1957)

• Established the European Economic Community. Set up a customs union and mapped out progressive reduction of custom duties.
• Proposed the concept of a single market for goods, labor, services and capital.
• Created the European Commission to implement a Common Agricultural Policy, Common Transport Policy, and European Social Fund.

Schengen Agreement (1985)

• Largely abolished internal border checks between members, allowing free movement of people across borders. Set up common visa policy.

Single European Act (1986)

• Committed members to a timeline for economic merger (including a single currency) and common foreign and domestic policies.
• It called for increased legislative powers for the European Parliament and streamlined the process for the passing of laws.

Maastricht Treaty (1992)

• Officially created the “European Union”; provided common citizenship and passports
• Allowed citizens to reside in any member state.
• Established European Central Bank, paving the way for a single European currency; included provision to apply inflation and public debt level requirements to future applicants.
• Mapped out closer cooperation between police forces and courts in criminal cases.

Treaty of Amsterdam (1997)

• Important changes to Maastricht agreement: members agree to transfer powers from national governments to European Parliament
• Large impact on immigration, civil and criminal laws.

Treaty of Lisbon (2007)

• Amends Treaty of Rome and Maastricht; relates to internal decision making processes (e.g. decisions by qualified majority rather than unanimous vote)
• Created formal positions for President of the European Council and representative for Foreign Affairs.

With each of these agreements, the affairs of the member nation-states became more and more intertwined. Regulations were streamlined and made uniform. Goods and services could be traded across national boundaries more easily and cheaply. Citizens became able to travel freely without passports throughout large parts of the region. Changes in the labor rules created a continent-wide labor market. All in all, these new arrangements changed the face of Europe and the lives of many of its people.

Expanding Boundaries of the EU

While the dramatic alterations were underway, the European community itself was expanding.

• Original members: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
• 1973: United Kingdom (exited 2020), Denmark, Ireland
• 1981: Greece
• 1986: Spain, Portugal
• 1995: Austria, Sweden, Finland
• 2004: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus
• 2007: Bulgaria, Romania
• 2013: Croatia

Expanding the boundaries of the European Union

A Time of Dramatic Changes for the Europe and the European Union

As all of this was happening, there were fundamental policy shifts and historical waves at play as well. Beginning in the 1970s, richer countries began to subsidize poorer members with transfer payments. These allowed for more job creation and new infrastructure in the poor nations of southern Europe. The European Parliament was formed and, starting in 1979, began to have direct elections of its members. The period saw the development of an environmental movement in the west and, in the east, the Polish labor union began to put pressure on the Communist government. History reached a climax with the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Russia itself. There then was an emphasis on integrating these former members of the Warsaw Pact into the European community, culminating in a massive enlargement of the European Union in the first decade of the 21st-century.

Where Does the EU Go From Here?

Where is the European Union headed?

The original concept of the European Union was visionary and the resulting structures changed the face of Europe. Europe has become prosperous and the degree of personal freedom and wealth is impressive. If this is so, then why do things appear to have gotten off track? Why is there so much ‘Euro-scepticism”, which reached a peak with Brexit? Indeed, as the role of the EU in the lives of citizens has become so much deeper, the level of resentment directed at the bureaucrats in Brussels has grown. Also, with the dramatically expanded number of member countries, new political, economic and cultural fissures have opened. The desire to be part of the EU has dissipated as the news has become full of reports on the constant squabbling over procedures, divergent views over the degree of economic and financial integration, and immigration policies. The outcome of the next chapter of the story of Europe will depend on how well its leaders navigate these tricky questions and whether the people of today hold on to the vision of freedom and liberty that guided earlier generations.

With this brief historical introduction out of the way, your humble columnist will begin to use this “About Europe” space to explore some of the issues and challenges facing Europe today.