EU towards a federal state

Résumé du document

"Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity" (issued from Schuman Declaration on 9th May 1950). At the end of the Second World War, bruised, France, Germany, Benelux, and Italy, representing Europe, decided to unite in order to forge lasting peaceful relations. The Europe's Founding Fathers, Robert Schuman as well as Jean Monnet, wished to build a Europe in several stages according to the policy of small steps.

Contrary to a confederation – the voluntary union of States which are and remain sovereign – a Federal State, such as the United States, is a group created between political entities by a common Constitution in which they retain some powers allowing to consider them as Member States. But they lost their sovereignty in favor of this group which has, mainly, the only international personality.

In his declaration, Schuman already evoked that the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), would be the first step of the European Federation, idea following up the strong movement of European federalism (see history of the foundation of the Union of European Federalists on its website). The legacy of this de facto solidarity is translated into the European Union (EU) established by the Treaty of Maastricht of February 7, 1992.

Extraits

[...] At the end of the Second World War, bruised, France, Germany, Benelux, and Italy, representing Europe, decided to unite in order to forge lasting peaceful relations. The Europe's Founding Fathers, Robert Schuman as well as Jean Monnet, wished to build a Europe in several stages according to the policy of small steps. Contrary to a confederation the voluntary union of States which are and remain sovereign a Federal State, such as the United States, is a group created between political entities by a common Constitution in which they retain some powers allowing to consider them as Member States. [...]

[...] So, EU would be a new category of federalism and would stay the unique example in its kind: Barroso would like to continue on this line. BIBLIOGRAPHY LEGAL NORM Treaty on EU, version strengthened on March 2010, OTHER LEGAL DOCUMENTATION Schuman Declaration on May 9th BOOKS Union européenne, les notices, documentation française, édition 1999 NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Le Nouvel Observateur 12/09/2012 “Barroso prône une fédération d'Etats- nation en Europe” JDD 19/10/2012 “Holland regrette la ‘lourdeur' de l'Europe” Le Monde 06/02/2013 la sortie de l'euro, une idée qui n'a pas pris” Le Nouvel Observateur 03/03/2013 “Marien Le Pen demande un referendum sur la sortie de l'UE” L'expansion 05/03/2013 sortie de l'Union serait- elle une catastrophe pour le Royaume-Uni?” Les Echos 28/03/2013 “'Réelle possibilité' de voir Chypre sortir de l'euro, estiment les banques” Le Figaro 16/04/2013 “France: récession de en 2013 WEBSITES History of the foundation of Union of European federalists: http://www.federalists.eu/uef/history/ Official website of Europe: www.europa.eu OTHER Jacques Delors Speech on May 9th : pardon et la promesse. [...]

[...] Finally, judicial institutions were also created as: the Court of Justice of the EU, the General Court the “Court of First Instance” and the Civil Service Tribunal. All these institutions are a matter of the structure of a Federal State and the realization of the will of the EU member States by the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, not ratified but modified to give the current Treaty of Lisbon of 2007. Since then, we could think rightly that the EU became a Federal State because it is thanks to this Constitution- organized like a Federal State. [...]

[...] Sovereignty is based upon the distinction of a national sovereignty i.e. a supreme power exercised in a community on citizens and an international sovereignty where an independent State can exercise its power by being submitted to no other authority except for the one that it has voluntarily accepted. According to Loyseau and so many others, sovereignty is the form which gives ‘being' to the State, it is inseparable from the State souveraineté est du tout inséparable de l'Etat”, Loyseau); i.e. [...]

[...] The legacy of this de facto solidarity is translated into the European Union established by the Treaty of Maastricht of February After two decades and various enlargements has EU become a Federal State? The will of Europe towards a Federal State is still present nowadays although seeing States divergences, the EU is always in a transitional phase (2.).With the crisis and institutional problems, EU is questioned in its very principle of federalism (3.). EU, A WILL OF FEDERALISM The will of federalism has to appreciate in its original will ( 1.1 as that current ( 1.2 De facto solidarity towards federalism: European Communities to EU The EU construction began with the Robert Schuman's declaration as a Secretary of State for foreign Affairs in which he declared the pooling of resources of coal and steel of France and German Federal Republic in an organization opened to all the countries of Europe: the ECSC concretized this between the six founding countries. [...]