33
ISSUES: Citizenship
Chapter 3: Politics in the UK
leaders to account. More meaningful
structures for citizen participation
could be built into the design
and delivery of services, and the
development of strategic visions and
budget-setting, with clear channels
of influence to policy-making and
accountability ties to representative
institutions.
This would enable us to move
away from the current situation
where central government, which is
supposed to be transferring power
away from itself, paradoxically ends up
with more power because of its role in
granting concessions and monitoring
devolution agreements.
Aspiring for an approach to devolution
that does this is not wishful thinking.
Devolution deals that fail to deliver on
these aims risk moving our economy,
and governance structures, in the
opposite direction. We will be building
on this body of work examining
devolution from a number of angles,
over the next year, so keep an eye out
for more.
9 February 2016
Ö
The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from The Crick
Centre. Please visit
org for further information.
©The Crick Centre 2017
A three-minute guide:
what is the EU?
Introduction
The UK’s membership of the European
Union has long divided public
opinion. With an in/out referendum
scheduled for 23 June, voters will
be tasked with making a decision
that will shape the country’s future
relationship with Europe. But what is
the EU? And how does it function in
practice?
What is the EU?
The European Union (EU) is an
economic and political partnership
between 28 countries. The EU is
unique – it is not a state, and yet
it is more than an international
organisation such as the United
Nations.
Member states cooperate on issues
ranging from the single market
to defence and foreign policy.
Particularly in areas of economic
policy, such as trade, national
governments have ceded some
authority in favour of joint decision-
making, and the adoption of binding
EU-wide laws.
How did it develop?
The European Union has evolved over
the past 70 years. The European Coal
and Steel Community (ECSC) was
formed in 1951 with the aimof binding
Germany and France together in a
trading alliance and preventing future
wars. The European Atomic Energy
Community was created in 1957 to
foster cooperation in nuclear energy.
The European Economic Community
was established in the same year
with the broader remit of economic
integration. The three organisations
were merged in 1965 and referred
to as the “European Communities”.
They were subsumed within the new
“European Union” in 1992, when the
Maastricht Treaty was agreed.
Britain has always had a strained
relationship with these organisations.
It declined an invitation to join the
six founding members of the ECSC in
1957 – even though British politicians,
notably Winston Churchill, favoured
the close integration of European
states and championed initiatives
aimed at international cooperation
in Europe. Britain twice attempted
to join the European Economic
Community in the 1960s, but its
applications were vetoed by France.
It finally joined in 1973, along with
Denmark and Ireland, but held a
national referendum on membership
two years later. 67% voted to stay in,
33% opposed.
What are the EU’s institutions?
The EU has several key institutions
that were created by national
governments to help them achieve
the goals that they set out in the
founding
treaties.
Checks
and
balances were built into the system to
prevent any single body or member
state from imposing its preferences
unilaterally.
These institutions are at the heart
of the EU system, but national
institutions also play key roles.
Governments attend the European
Council and the Council of the
European Union, administrations
and agencies implement and enforce
EU policy, national parliaments are
consulted during the decision-making
process, and parliaments and courts
contribute to accountability and
scrutiny. The combination of EU and
national institutions distinguishes
the EU from other international
organisations.
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The European Council is the most
senior EU institution. It consists of
the elected heads of the member
states,
and
is
accountable
through national parliaments to
national populations. It sets the
EU’s general political direction
and handles sensitive issues. It
sometimes calls on the other
institutions to draft legislative
proposals on a particular subject.
Ö
The
European
Commission
combines
political
and
administrative
responsibilities.
It is in charge of implementing
legislation
and
monitoring
compliance by the member
states. Its most important task
