France and Europe.

• Power point presentation

• An Advantageous European Environment

• France's Foreign Policy

  France has notes and coins denominated in euros and cents since 1 January 2002, the fourth step in the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union.(EMU)
      World security.  Party to the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO), France also belongs to Western European Union (WEU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Eurocorps, in which France has nearly 13,000 troops. As one of the five nuclear powers - alongside the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and China - France is ensuring the maintenance of its deterrent force and its adaptation to the new strategic realities, taking into account the European dimension of its defence,while working towards a total ban on nuclear testing and committing itself to arms control and disarmament.

  EUROPEAN SOCIAL MODEL:  (seeLabel France n° 40)
  -The European Union has a substantial body of law and political structures.
  New countries need to incorporate these laws and procedures into their own legislation and in order to be admitted new countries need to adhere to certain basic principles, shared buy all memebers of the Union: see main EU site for details.

  • Social criteria (protects and recognizes the Declaration of Human Rights/ non-ethnic or religious or political segregation etc..)
  • economic criteria
  • common defence agreement.; Peace.
  • European passport
  • See handout on France and Immigration  Schengen and Amsterdam Treaties
  •  
• Names of 27 existing countries:

  Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia  Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom

• Enlargement is a carefully managed process which helps the transformation of the countries involved, extending peace, stability, prosperity, democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe. e.g. Some countries are pending e.g.Turkey  why??
• For more infos and maps of EU countries in 2007 :http://www.touteleurope.fr/fr/union-europeenne/les-etats-membres-et-les-pays-candidats/
  For details on all countries: http://ec.europa.eu/geninfo/whatsnew.htm

• The EU works like a state and is governed similarly: The President is replaced by a  Member country (rotates every semester); the Prime Minister is replaced by a Council of European representatives, there is the Parliament (the European parliament buildings in Strasbourg, Luxembourg and Brussels) The Brussels is the seat of the Parliament. There are many separate institutions.

  The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union.  The ministers of the member states meet within the Council of the European Union. Depending on the issue on the agenda, each country will be represented by the minister responsible for that subject (foreign affairs, finance, social affairs, transport, agriculture, etc.). The Presidency of the Council is held for six months by each member state on a rotational basis.

 EUROPEAN UNION:

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

• Multi-lingualism: All languages of the 27 countries are represented in the meetings of the Institutions of the E.U

European Institutions/Policies  :  http://europa.eu/index_en.htm    

This site is a MUST if you want to understand how the EU works!

Commission (executive body) and in the Parliament(Legislative body) and all other assemblies such as the Council of the European Union (Heads of States) , the Court of Justice  etc....(see Institutions), Court of Auditors, Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions, European Investment Bank, European Investment Fund, European Central Bank,...

• Since 2002 : 12 countries have adopted the EURO 1 euro =   FRF   6.55957
• Study in Europe and the Erasmus programs
• Maastricht Treaty: since 1992, all citizens of Europe share a passport and the mobility not only of goods but of people too.   
• EU and USA business: best site: http://www.eurunion.org/infores/bestbussites.htm

  Europe in Label France see Label France 32 and Label France 51

Europe and France, Social Europe and other topics: Label France n° 40, Jan 2000

 European security:Label France n° 28, July 1997.

Europe: Study in Europe and France:  Label France 32 and Label France 51

Key dates in the building of Europe
• April 18, 1951: The Six: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Paris instituting the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
• March 25, 1957: The Six sign the Treaties of Rome which give birth to the European Economic Community (EEC), also called the Common  Market and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).
• 1962:The first community policy comes into force: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
• 1968:Customs Union is set up between the Six.
• 1973: Europe of the Nine: Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland join the EEC.
• 1979: Introduction of the European Monetary System (EMS) aiming to stabilise the exchange rates between European currencies.First election of members to the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage.
• 1981: Europe of the Ten: Greece enters the EEC.
• 1986: Europe of the Twelve: Spain and Portugal join in their turn.The Single European Act lays down as an objective the creation of a single internal market in which there will be free movement of people, capital, goods and services by January 1, 1993 at the latest.
1992: The Maastricht Treaty marks the beginning of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and extends the powers of the European Parliament.
• 1995: Europe of the Fifteen: with the entry of Austria, Finland and Sweden, Norway having rejected membership by referendum
• 1997:Signature of the Treaty of Amsterdam (new treaty revising the founding treaties). Came into force on May 1, 1999
• March 1998: Opening of negotiations with a view to the enlargement of the European Union.
• January 1999: Start of the transition to the single currency (the euro) in eleven European countries.
• December 1999: Helsinki Summit (Finland), devoted to institutional changes necessary before enlargement.
• February 14, 2000: Opening of the Intergovernmental Conference, in Brussels

• December 8 2000: European Conference, in Nice,France ( EU Enlargement to 30 countries starting in January 2003). 
• January  2002: launch of the EURO and phasing out of the Local currencies in the EURO zone.
• Enlargement 10 countries in 2004 -> 25 and in Jan 2007, Romania and Hungary: 27 countries to date-2007.

1-       a--How many member states in the EU as from Jan 2007? What European countries are NOT included in the EU? Do you know why?

b-  Who has the Presidency of the European Union this semester?

c-  How many countries are part of the EURO-zone ?

d- What are the criteria for admission in the EU? (give 3)

e- What 3 main cities host the institutions of the European Union ?(European Commission and Parliament)? Paris/ Berlin/ Brussels/ Strassbourg/ Luxembourg?

f.-What is the currency of France today?

g. What are the main reasons for creating a unifying Europe?

h.What characterizes the so-called EUROPEAN SOCIAL model of democracy? Pick out 3 facts from this website. http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm

i.What issues is the EU facing regarding enlargement? Arguments FOR the enlargement of the European Union and arguments AGAINST.

(Benefits? Risks? For whom?)

2- Identify:

CAP
WTO
AIRBUS  
Symbol for the euro? How much is it worth (in $)?

3- Comment these pictures
       
 DRINKS, north-South differences.
       

White----from the trilogy Blue, White, Red ( FRANCE )--
Chaos:--- immigrant women and prostitution