Deck 5: European Union

Question 1

The European Economic Community (EEC)

A) is the formal name for the Eurozone.
B) was a prewar trade bloc that collapsed because of the Great Depression.
C) is a rival to the European Union.
D) was the first postwar attempt at European integration.
E) evolved into the European Union.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which statement about the EU bureaucracy is INCORRECT?

A) The EU bureaucracy is fairly small.
B) Top EU bureaucratic positions are carefully allocated to member state nationals.
C) Top EU bureaucrats are exempt from national taxes.
D) The EU bureaucracy is confined to the Commission.
E) Top EU bureaucrats are well paid.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Early debates about European integration involved which three groups of people?

A) Federalists, intergovernmentalists, and integrationists
B) Federalists, integrationists, and those who wanted to preserve the sovereignty of European states
C) Federalists, republicans, and democrats
D) Federalists, intergovernmentalists, and those who wanted to preserve sovereignty of European states
E) Federalists, integrationists, and republicans

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which statement about the Commissioners is NOT correct?

A) They are appointed by member state governments.
B) They work together as a college in which each commissioner participates equally in all decisions.
C) Each commissioner supervises at least one General Directorate over which they have total control.
D) They serve for a term that coincides with the electoral life of the European Parliament.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a role of the Commission?

A) It sets broad guidelines for EU trade policy.
B) It develops and proposes EU legislation.
C) It implements EU legislation.
D) It plays a monitoring and enforcing role in the Economic and Monetary Union.
E) It draws up the draft EU budget.

Question 6

How is the president of the Commission chosen?

A) S/he is nominated by the European Council (EU Council) and approved by the European Parliament.
B) S/he is elected by his/her fellow commissioners.
C) S/he is popularly elected alongside the European Parliament.
D) S/he is nominated by the European Council (EU Council), formally appointed by the Council of Ministers, and approved by the European Parliament.
E) S/he is chosen by a majority vote of the European Parliament, although the European Council (EU Council) has the right to veto the candidate in which case the Parliament must choose another candidate which the Council cannot veto.

Question 7

All of the following are roles played by the Council of Ministers EXCEPT

A) passing laws.
B) approving the EU budget.
C) concluding international agreements for the EU.
D) deciding some foreign policy issues.
E) initiating EU legislation.

Question 8

The term institutional triangle refers to the interaction between

A) the Commission, the EU Council, and the Council of Ministers.
B) the Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament.
C) the Commission, the Council of Ministers, and the European Court of Justice.
D) the EU, NATO, and the Council of Europe.
E) the EU, its members, and European-based interest groups.

Question 9

During the Eurozone crisis, the EU member states that received substantial bailout loans included

A) Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
B) Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, and Spain.
C) Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Poland.
D) Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and France.
E) Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Question 10

The Council of Ministers is comprised of

A) elected officials from member states who express their governments' preferences.
B) national ministers who express their governments' preferences.
C) high level bureaucrats from member state governments who express their governments' preferences.
D) a mixture of high level EU bureaucrats and national ministers.
E) a mixture of high level EU bureaucrats and elected officials from the member states.

Question 11

Transposing refers to the process whereby

A) member states incorporate EU laws into their national laws.
B) member states swap out their national currencies for the euro.
C) the EU passes legislation to standardize rules and regulations across member states.
D) the EU exchanges its foreign currency holdings for euros.
E) member states reorder their spending priorities to meet EU standards.

Question 12

The most recent country to join the European Union is

A) Turkey.
B) Croatia.
C) the Ukraine.
D) Iceland.
E) Switzerland.

Question 13

The body of laws and rules to which states must agree before joining the European Union is called the

A) acquis communitaire.
B) anatomia communitaire.
C) EU constitution.
D) Basic Law.
E) EU Code of Conduct.

Question 14

The European Union has sought to foster a sense of European identity by all of the following EXCEPT

A) having an EU flag.
B) having an EU anthem.
C) establishing an EU passport.
D) subsidizing efforts by European students to study outside their own countries to deepen "European-ness".
E) promoting a national (i.e. common) language for use across all EU states.

Question 15

The term original six refers to

A) the United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy.
B) France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain.
C) France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
D) France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy.
E) France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Belgium.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a treaty concerning the development of the European Union?

A) Treaty of Maastricht
B) Treaty of Nice
C) Treaty of Lisbon
D) Treaty of Flanders
E) Treaty of Amsterdam

Question 17

The Great Recession and subsequent Eurozone crisis brought about which reform within the European Union?

A) The creation of a European Central Bank
B) Linking the value of the euro to gold
C) Establishing a permanent fund that could be used in the future to bail out members when they face severe financial troubles
D) A commitment to establish a Banking Union to exercise supervisory control over European banks
E) Allowing the European Central Bank to purchase national bonds

Question 18

The European Union is comprised of

A) 28 states in western and eastern Europe.
B) 27 European states and Turkey.
C) 28 states in western Europe.
D) all of the states in Europe.
E) 25 European states, Turkey, Canada and Australia.

Question 19

The community method of decision making in the EU means that

A) the Commission proposes, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament decide, and the European Court of Justice reviews EU law.
B) the EU Council proposes, the Commission and the European Parliament decide, and the European Court of Justice reviews EU law.
C) the Commission proposes, the EU Council decides, and the European Court of Justice reviews EU law.
D) the Commission proposes, the European Parliament debates, the Council of Ministers decides, and the European Court of Justice reviews EU law.
E) the Commission proposes, the Council of Ministers decides, and the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice review EU law.

Question 20

Until the Treaty of Lisbon, the Council of Ministers used a system of qualified majority voting, which meant that

A) at least four of the "original six" had to be part of the majority that approved legislative proposals.
B) the voting power of members was weighted by population size.
C) at least three-fourths of the members had to approve legislative proposals.
D) Council decisions had to be approved by a majority of the judges in the European Court of Justice.
E) all decisions required a vote of unanimity.

Question 21

Over the years, obstacles to building a single market have included all of the following EXCEPT

A) non-tariff barriers.
B) restrictions on cross border movement of people.
C) different national currencies.
D) different national taxes.
E) tense security relations between European Union member states.

Question 22

The _____ are advisory bodies representing different kinds of organized interests that review and submit opinions on pending EU legislation.

A) Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions
B) Economic and Social Council and the Council of the Regions
C) Economic and Social Forum and the Regional Forum
D) Council of Consultants and the Council of National Parliaments
E) Nongovernmental Organizations Interest Committee and the Subnational Government Committee

Question 23

Which statement about the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is NOT correct?

A) It can strike down EU laws it judges to be contrary to the treaties, but has no such power with respect to the laws of member states.
B) It is comprised of one justice per member state along with eight advocates-general.
C) It is based in Luxembourg.
D) It lacks the ability to seek out cases to hear but instead must wait for cases to be brought before it.
E) It typically divides its work into chambers usually comprised of three or five justices.

Question 24

Europol is an example of an EU institution known as

A) an autonomous agency.
B) a community agency.
C) an associated body.
D) a tertiary agency.
E) a functional agency.

Question 25

Which of the following statements about the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections is TRUE?

A) Voter turnout was the lowest ever recorded in the history of the EU.
B) The center-right parties did much better than they ever had in the past.
C) The center-left parties did much better than they ever had in the past.
D) Euroskeptic parties won more than 20% of the seats in the European Parliament.
E) The European People's Party (EPP) was displaced as the largest party group.

Question 26

____was an early decision of the European court of Justice that established the supremacy of EU law over national law.

A) Van Gend and Loos
B) Van Duyn v. Home Office
C) Costa v. ENE
D) Commission v. the State of Netherlands
E) Defrenne v. Sabena

Question 27

Subsidiarity refers to the idea that

A) the "original six" occupy a privileged position within the EU.
B) decisions should be made at the highest level of jurisdiction.
C) decisions should be made at the lowest level of jurisdiction.
D) the EU should promote the use of state subsidies on a case-by-case basis.
E) decisions should be made by the European people.

Question 28

When we say that the European Union has a single market, we are saying that

A) its members trade exclusively with one another.
B) the prices of goods and services are set by the European Union, rather than the free market system.
C) all member states use a common currency.
D) there are few barriers to the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital among member states.
E) there are few barriers to the free movement of goods and services between members states, but there are significant barriers concerning the movement of capital and people.

Question 29

The European Parliament plays a ______ role with the Council of Ministers, meaning that most legislative proposals must be decided upon and approved by both institutions.

A) codecision
B) consultative
C) conciliatory
D) cooperative
E) regulatory

Question 30

A case can reach the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) when a national court asks for a preliminary ruling on a case involving European law.
B) when a party appeals a decision of the General Court on the basis of a question of law.
C) when a European institution asks the court to rule on the legality of a piece of European legislation.
D) when the Commission asks the ECJ to decide if a member state has failed to fulfill its EU legal obligations.
E) when the Court independently selects a case to hear.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about the European Parliament is NOT correct?

A) The European Parliament elects its president.
B) The European Parliament organizes itself along the lines of European-level party coalitions.
C) The European Parliament does most of its work in plenary sessions (meetings of the whole body) rather than in groups or committees.
D) Seats in the European Parliament are allocated according to the population size of member states so larger states have more seats than smaller ones.
E) Historically, the largest party coalitions in the European Parliament have been the Christian Democrats and the Socialists.

Question 32

National preferences are most clearly expressed in which two EU institutions?

A) The Council of Ministers and the Council of the Regions
B) The Council of Ministers and the EU Council
C) The Council of Ministers and the European System of Central Banks
D) The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament
E) The Council of Ministers and the Court of Auditors

Question 33

Members of the European Parliament are

A) directly elected by the member states' citizenry within elections specifically held for that purpose.
B) appointed by the EU member states' executive leaders.
C) chosen by the parliaments of the member states.
D) chosen by the opposition parties in each member state.
E) chosen in different ways in each member state.

Question 34

The  _______ is a body that does most of the preliminary work of the Council of Ministers as well as coordinating various high level functional committees.

A) Coordinating Committee
B) Committee of Permanent Representatives
C) Auxiliary Council
D) Committee of National Ambassadors
E) Assistant to the Council of Ministers

Question 35

Building a single European market has meant all of the following EXCEPT

A) instituting European-wide environmental standards.
B) integrating some forms of taxation.
C) harmonizing technical standards.
D) opening up the banking industry.
E) membership in the European and Monetary Union (EMU) and Euro zone (no exceptions allowed).

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the EU Council is NOT correct?

A) It has its own dedicated secretariat, or staff.
B) Although there have been summits since the 1970s, the EU Council did not become a formal institution of the EU until the Lisbon Treaty.
C) Its president serves a two-and-one-half year term, renewable one time.
D) It sets general EU strategy.
E) It includes the heads of state and government from the member states and the Commission's president.

Question 37

In developing policy proposals, the Commission may consult with all of the following EXCEPT

A) other EU institutions.
B) national bureaucrats.
C) politicians.
D) organized interests.
E) international organizations.

Question 38

The double majority requires that

A) the Council of Ministers approval of legislative proposals requires a vote that represents both a majority (55%) of the member states and a majority (65%) of the EU population.
B) legislative proposals must gain an approval of a majority in both the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.
C) the Council of Ministers must vote twice on legislative proposals, with a majority supporting the proposals on each vote.
D) some legislative proposals require the approval of a super-majority (75%) of the votes in the Council of Ministers, while others require only a simple majority (51%).
E) legislative proposals must gain a qualified majority in the Council of Ministers and a simple majority in the European Parliament.

Question 39

Which power does the European Parliament lack?

A) To initiate legislation
B) To bring the Commission and the Council of Ministers to the European Court of Justice for a failure to act
C) To approve of, or assent to, applications from perspective new member states
D) To amend Commission proposals
E) To determine its own internal organization

Question 40

The Lisbon Treaty established the _____ procedure by which citizens can propose EU legislation.

A) citizen democracy
B) citizen proposal
C) citizen legislative
D) citizen initiative
E) grass roots initiative

Question 41

The EU budget

A) grew steadily until the Eurozone crisis.
B) grew steadily, then stabilized and has recently declined.
C) has continued to grow despite the Eurozone crisis.
D) has fluctuated widely from year to year.
E) grew steadily, but has been stable for the last thirty years.

Question 42

The European Union Constitutional Treaty

A) is another name for the Treaty of Lisbon.
B) is another name for the Treaty of Rome.
C) ultimately failed because not all member states ratified it.
D) ultimately failed because the European Parliament did not approve it.
E) established a constitution for the European Union that remains in place today.

Question 43

Which of the following was NOT a factor that has helped to shape the EU's security policy?

A) The West European Union's Petersburg Tasks
B) The establishment of a European Security and Defense Identity by the Amsterdam Treaty
C) The acceptance of the Helsinki Goals developed by the EU Council
D) A United Nations Security Council resolution calling upon the EU to take on a crisis management role within Europe
E) The Joint Declaration on European Defense issued by Britain and France

Question 44

The EU budget is about ___ percent of the GDP of its members.

A) 1
B) 3
C) 5
D) 7
E) 10

Question 45

The Lisbon Treaty created the position of the _____ to oversee the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

A) President of the EU Council
B) Chief Ambassador
C) High Representative
D) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Commissioner
E) CFSP Minister

Question 46

As a result of reforms adopted after the Eurozone crisis, which two institutions gained power?

A) The European Central Bank and the Commission
B) The European Central Bank and the Court of Auditors
C) The European Central Bank and the European Parliament
D) The European Central Bank and the Economic and Social Committee
E) The European Central Bank and the Council of Ministers

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an example of EU competition policy?

A) Fining Microsoft for bundling software with Windows
B) Allowing state subsidies to be used to build the English Channel tunnel
C) Deregulating health care
D) Preventing a mergers of avionics firms that was approved by the United States
E) Deregulating public utilities

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT an example of the EU's activity in relation to a shared policy ?

A) Drawing up research framework programs
B) Establishing environmental action programs
C) Using open methods of cooperation
D) Creating the European Social Fund
E) Participating in NATO joint military exercises

Question 49

Which of the following statements concerning the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is INCORRECT?

A) It officially began in 1999.
B) It involves a Europe-wide monetary policy and a single currency.
C) All EU members are obligated to join the EMU.
D) Its goals include ensuring price stability and making easier the flow of goods and services among member states.
E) It is organized around a European System of Central Banks and a European Central Bank.

Question 50

The EU privileges its trade positions with

A) the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
B) ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries.
C) FSRs (former Soviet republics).
D) members of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).
E) Turkey.

Question 51

The Schengen area of free movement without border controls encompasses

A) almost all EU members, plus some non-EU countries.
B) all EU members, plus some non-EU countries.
C) only those EU members located in Western Europe.
D) only the Benelux countries, plus France and Germany.
E) all EU members.

Question 52

Shared policies refer to

A) those in which the member states cooperate independently of any direction from the EU.
B) those in which the EU cooperates with the United States.
C) areas in which the EU cooperates with Russia.
D) areas in which the EU provides seed money, generates ideas and/or cajoles member states to take action, but policy making basically remains at the national level.
E) areas in which the EU cooperates with other international organizations.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT a task of the European Central Bank?

A) Making and implementing EU monetary policy
B) Maintaining price stability
C) Managing foreign exchanges
D) Adjusting EMU-wide interest rates
E) Making and implementing EU fiscal policy

Question 54

Since the turn of the century, the EU has undertaken military or policing action in all of the following places EXCEPT

A) Bosnia Herzegovina.
B) Chad.
C) the Democratic Republic of Congo.
D) Palestine.
E) Libya.

Question 55

The EU and its member states taken together give ___ percent of the world's developmental aid.

A) 50
B) 30
C) 20
D) 60
E) 70

Question 56

Which of the following does NOT fall under the domain of Justice and Home Affairs?

A) Matters of immigration
B) Political asylum
C) Police cooperation
D) Judicial cooperation
E) M atters involving family law

Question 57

The EU budgetary process involves two steps that are

A) an intergovernmental negotiation held every five years to establish a multiyear financial perspective and an annual review by the European Parliament.
B) an intergovernmental negotiation held every five years to establish a multiyear financial perspective and an annual review by both the Commission and the European Parliament.
C) the Commission proposing an annual budget and the European Parliament approving it.
D) the European Union Council establishing a five-year framework, which is followed by a complex annual process of the Council of Ministers, the Commission and the European Parliament writing a budget.
E) an intergovernmental negotiation held every five years to establish a multiyear spending framework, which is followed by an annual budget writing process overseen by the Commission inconsultation with the European Parliament.

Question 58

Which of the following statements about the EU's regional development policy is NOT correct?

A) Although mentioned in the Treaty of Rome, regional development did not really begin until the 1970s and 1980s.
B) Under the policy, the EU prioritizes specific objectives and promotes partnerships between the Commission and regional governments.
C) Structural funds are the EU's largest budgetary item.
D) Amounts given to any particular country are fairly small.
E) The threat to withhold structural funds can be used to make members invest in such things as administrative reform.

Question 59

Which of the following best describes the development and implementation of EU trade policy?

A) The Council of Ministers sets a general mandate that is then administered by the Commission and carried out by the International Trade Commissioner.
B) The EU Council sets the general mandate that is then administered by the Commission and carried out by the International Trade Commissioner.
C) The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament jointly set a general mandate that is then administered by the Commission.
D) The Council of Ministers sets a general mandate that is then administered by the Commission, carried out by the International Trade Commissioner and overseen by the European Parliament.
E) The International Trade Commissioner develops, with input from the Council of Ministers, the EU trade policy that he then administers.

Question 60

Which of the following statements about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is NOT correct?

A) Non-EU states have not argued that it may violate international trade rules.
B) Some members benefit, but others do not.
C) It was established with the Treaty of Rome.
D) CAP reforms have usually been paid for by simply increasing the size of the CAP budget.
E) It is the single largest component of the EU budget.

Question 61

What impact has the European Union had upon the spread of democracy?

Question 62

The EU's institutional structure is very complex.  First, identify which institutions you feel are most important within this arrangement, being sure to explain your choices.  Next, describe how those institutions interact.

Question 63

Arguably the most recent significant challenge to the European Union has been the Eurozone crisis.  First, explain what this crisis entailed and why it came about.  Next, describe how the EU and its members responded to this crisis.  Finally, assess the success of that response.

Question 64

What have been the consequences of the adoption and extension of the codecision procedure?  Be sure to address not only organizational issues but also issues such as legitimacy, transparency, and the like.

Question 65

It has been said that EU institutional reform has been reactive, often coming only in response to a crisis.  Using a crisis of your choosing, illustrate how this is the case.

Question 66

First, explain what is meant when observers say that the European Union exercises "soft power" in international affairs.  Next, assess how successful it has been in influencing important world events through soft power.

Question 67

What critical junctures would you identify in the development of the European Union?

Question 68

What challenges currently face the European Union and its members in the area of Justice and Home Affairs?  How are they responding to these? Have they been successful?  Do you think these will accelerate or decelerate greater integration in this area?

Question 69

During the 1970s, European economic integration succumbed to "Eurosclerosis," or an inability to move forward because of significant differences between the member states.  To what extent is a similar form of Eurosclerosis being seen in relation to the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, especially in light of the responses to the Iraq War and Russia's annexation of Crimea?  Is it possible for the EU to find a cure to this new form of Eurosclerosis?

Question 70

For years, the European Union was criticized as having a "democratic deficit," meaning not only that normal citizens had little opportunities to participate in its decision making process but also that the process itself often occurred behind closed doors.  What kinds of reforms has the EU adopted to address this criticism?  How successful have these been?  Does more need to be done?