Alexis de Tocqueville

Governmental Centralization (good)

Administrative Centralization (bad)

there exist two distinct kinds of centralization, which it isnecessary to discriminate with accuracy. Certain interests arecommon to all parts of a nation, such as the enactment of its

general laws and the maintenance of its foreign relations. Otherinterests are peculiar to certain parts of the nation; such, for

instance, as the business of different townships. When the powerwhich directs the general interests is centred in one place, or

vested in the same persons, it constitutes a central government.In like manner the power of directing partial or local interests,

when brought together into one place, constitutes what may betermed a central administration.

Tocqueville’s Warning• No one can be more inclined than I am myself to appreciate

the advantages of the federal system, which I hold to be one ofthe combinations most favorable to the prosperity and freedom ofman. I envy the lot of those nations which have been enabled toadopt it; but I cannot believe that any confederate peoples couldmaintain a long or an equal contest with a nation of similarstrength in which the government should be centralized. A peoplewhich should divide its sovereignty into fractional powers, inthe presence of the great military monarchies of Europe, would,in my opinion, by that very act, abdicate its power, and perhapsits existence and its name.

Five Treaties

• Treaty of Rome 1957

• Single European Act 1986

• Treaty of European Union (Maastricht) 1992

• Treaty of Nice 2000

• Constitutional Treaty (2004)—not yet ratified.

Degrees of European Integration

• Free trade area—the eurosceptics preference.• Customs union--A customs union is a grouping

of countries with a common external tariff, but with free trade, free movement of labor and capital among themselves.

• Common market• Economic and monetary union• Complete economic integration

Arthur Salter (1931)

• “...the commercial and tariff policy of European States is so central and crucial a part of their general policy, the receipts from Customs are so central and substantial a part of their revenues, that a common political authority, deciding for all Europe what tariffs should be imposed and how they should be distributed, would be for every country almost as important as, or even more important than, the national Governments, and would in effect reduce the latter to the status of municipal authorities”.

EU Tariffs

• Meat--236 percent

• Cereals--180 percent

• Sneakers--17 percent

• Raw Materials—less than 5 percent

• Electronics—less than 5 per cent

• Note: USA raises more from Bangla Desh than from France in tariffs

EU at its 25th Anniversary

• “a feeble cardiac patient whose condition is so poor he cannot even be disturbed for a birthday party.”

More Jargon

Three pillars

Pillar I: European Community—market/supranationalPillar II: Common Foreign and Sec. Policy--intergovernmentalPillar III: Police and Judicial Cooperation--intergovernmental

Two Terms of Eurospeak/Jargon

• Subsidiarity

• Competences

Question

What is the difference between the European Council and the

Council of Ministers?

Question

• How many of the current European Commissioners are from (i) the Baltic Countries; and (ii) Britain, France, and Germany?