European Union: Difference between revisions

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The EU's institutional structure is pretty complex, but its main bodies are the European Commission (nominated by the national governments and confirmed by the European Parliament, they draw up the policy and initiate legislation), the European Council (who are the heads of government of the 27 member states; they negotiate treaties and set broad goals), the Council of Ministers (made up of the ministers from each member state, they meet in policy-related groups, and are responsible for examining and making decisions on Commission proposals), the elected European Parliament (who pass, amend or reject proposed legislation along with the Council of Ministers, and do investigations) and the European Court of Justice (who can strike down national laws contrary to EU treaties and law). Which institutions take priority in decision making depends on the policy area, for example, in competition policy the Commission is influential, whereas in foreign policy the member states are the main actors. There was somewhat of a [[Foreshadowing|problem with working out who precisely is in charge]], as Henry Kissinger (he's still alive, surprisingly) once commented.

The EU is currently trying to work out where to go next. Attempts to write a new constitution for the EU were categorically rejected by French and Dutch referenda, and the Treaty of Lisbon (said to be very similar to the constitution) was rejected by the Irish in 2008; they un-rejected it in September 2009.

The green light meant a restructuring of EU governance, leading to the creation of two additional top jobs, increasing the count to three:

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== [[Live-Action TV]] ==

* The [[Channel 4]] series ''[http://portmanfilm.com/films/the_gravy_train.html The Gravy Train]'' and the sequel, ''The Gravy Train Goes East'', are set in and around the European Union institutions in Brussels.

* The EEC appears at least twice in ''[[Yes Minister]]'':

** In "The Devil You Know," Jim Hacker has managed to convince the rest of the departments to let him buy all the new word processors for the entire Civil Service and government, and just as he's about to award the massive order to a British company, an EEC directive comes in that forces him to reevaluate the policy. At the same time, a Cabinet reshuffle opens up the British seat on the European Commission, and Hacker (and even more so his wife) is tempted by the cushy perks that Commissioners get, despite the job being a [[Kicked Upstairs|career-ender in domestic politics]].

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* A [[United Europe|more centralized]] European Federation is one of the playable factions in ''[[Tom Clancy|Tom Clancy's Endwar]]'' and has its capital in Paris. Involved in a three way free-for-all known as [[World War Three|World War 3]] with the United States and Russia and makes a point that even its military runs on environmentally-friendly fuel.

* A combined EU force features in ''[[Battlefield (series)|Battlefield]] 2''. It has Eurofighter Typhoons.

* The Director of the European Union plays on important role in the expansion for ''[[Command ~~and~~ Conquer|Red Alert 3]]''. This being an [[Alternate Universe]], the EU is implied to be stronger though we don't get much info. We do, however, see a flag which is a combination of EU and [[NATO]] flags.

* The Director of the European Union plays on important role in the expansion for ''[[Command & Conquer|Red Alert 3]]''. This being an [[Alternate Universe]], the EU is implied to be stronger though we don't get much info. We do, however, see a flag which is a combination of EU and [[NATO]] flags.

** And he's evil, to boot.