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European Union

From ProleWiki, the proletarian encyclopedia
(Redirected from European Economic Community)
European Union
Flag of European Union
Flag
Location of European Union
CapitalBrussels (seat of principal EU institutions)
Berlin (Capital of the leading state, Germany)
Largest cityParis
Dominant mode of productionImperialist Capitalism
GovernmentPlutocratic confederation
• President of the European Council
Charles Michel
• President of the Commission
Ursula von der Leyen
History
17 March 1948
18 April 1951
1 January 1958
1 July 1987
1 November 1993
1 December 2009
Area
• Total
4,233,262 km²
Population
• 2022 estimate
447,007,596
Currencyeuro (€)


The European Union (EU) is a neoliberal political and economic union of 27 European countries established in 1993.[1]

History[edit | edit source]

Predecessors[edit | edit source]

In 1910, Gerhard Hildebrand, an opportunist and imperialist, proposed a creating a United States of Western Europe that would exclude Russia and organize military actions against China, Japan, African freedom fighters, and Islamists.[2]

The European Economic Community, founded in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, directly preceded the EU.[3]

Founding and expansion[edit | edit source]

The Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and came into effect in 1993. During the 1990s and 2000s, the EU expanded into Eastern Europe.[3]

Brexit[edit | edit source]

See main article: Brexit

In 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.[3]

Economic policy[edit | edit source]

By and large, the European Union strives to promote neoliberalism across its member states. The EU's process of integration is designed in such a way as to facilitate "free" capital mobility and to erode social welfare programs.[4] This is evident from their accession criteria alone, which demands a "functioning market economy," defined as:

  • high quality of economic governance
  • macroeconomic stability (including adequate price stability as well as sustainable public finances and external accounts)
  • proper functioning of the goods and services market (including business environment, state influence on product markets, and privatisation and restructuring)
  • proper functioning of the financial market (including financial stability and access to finance)
  • proper functioning of the labour market

[5]

Margarethe Verstager, back when she was the European Commissioner for Competition, explained that member states are only allowed to nationalize companies if said nationalized companies must operate "like a private market economy operator."[6] In other words, EU member states are prohibited from changing their mode of production from capitalism to something else.

Political Positions[edit | edit source]

Nazi apologia[edit | edit source]

The entire European Union voted in favor of Nazism in a 2022 UN resolution, claiming that "they were forced to because the Russian Federation is using Nazism to justify its invasion of Ukraine".[7]

Islamophobia[edit | edit source]

Top EU officials allow burning the Quran in order to incite hatred against Muslims and distract from domestic failures.[8]

Anti-Communism[edit | edit source]

In 2019, the EU passed a resolution equating communism and fascism as forms of "totalitarianism." The KKE, PCP, and Italian Communist Party condemned the resolution.[9]

Pro-Imperialism[edit | edit source]

In a 2022 speech, Josep Borrell, the EU's top foreign policy official, promoted colonialism and called the rest of the world a "jungle." He also advocated for regime change in Russia to install a pro-Western government.[10]

The EU has censored RT and other Russian media outlets.[8]

Foreign Policy[edit | edit source]

Borders[edit | edit source]

Over 40,000 people have died trying to cross the border of the European Union,[11] and the EU has constructed nearly 1,000 km of border walls since its founding. By 2027, Frontex, the EU's border police, aims to have 10,000 armed guards.[12]

Funding of Fascists[edit | edit source]

In 2006, it provided €600,000 of funding to the fascist Alliance for Peace and Freedom.[13]

Member states[edit | edit source]

State Accession to EU Accession to EU predecessor MEPs People/MEP
Austria 1 January 1995 19 472575
Belgium Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 21 553220
Bulgaria 1 January 2007 17 402290
Croatia 1 July 2013 12 321859
Cyprus 1 May 2004 6 150784
Czech Republic 1 May 2004 21 500796
Denmark Founder (1993) 1 January 1973 14 419530
Estonia 1 May 2004 7 190257
Finland 1 January 1995 14 396303
France Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 79 859138
Germany Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 96 867053
Greece Founder (1993) 1 January 1981 21 498085
Hungary 1 May 2004 21 461381
Ireland Founder (1993) 1 January 1973 13 389231
Italy Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 76 776712
Latvia 1 May 2004 8 234470
Lithuania 1 May 2004 11 255091
Luxembourg Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 6 107566
Malta 1 May 2004 6 86829
Netherlands Founder (1993) 23 July 1952 29 606575
Poland 1 May 2004 52 724120
Portugal Founder (1993) 1 January 1986 21 492954
Romania 1 January 2007 33 577044
Slovakia 1 May 2004 14 388194
Slovenia 1 May 2004 8 263398
Spain Founder (1993) 1 January 1986 59 803947
Sweden 1 January 1995 21 497730

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Matthew J. Gabel (1998). European Union. Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. Vladimir Lenin (1916). Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism: 'Parasitism and Decay of Capitalism'. Moscow: Progress Publishers. [MIA]
  3. Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 Costas Lapavitsas (2019). The Left Case against the EU (pp. 10–29). Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 9781509531080
  4. “As shown in this paper, major policy issues, such as the Single Market Strategy, European competition policy, Economic and Monetary Integration, and even the European Employment Strategy, have enhanced “free” trade and “free” capital mobility, monetary restraint and budgetary austerity, the flexibilization of labour markets, and the erosion of employment security. In some areas, including monetary and fiscal policies, Euro-zone member states have gone further in following the neoliberal agenda than even neoliberal frontrunners like the United States and United Kingdom. Contrary to the rhetoric of the European Social Model, the integration process allowed policymakers, backed by the leading sections of European capital, to circumvent and erode the social rights that were achieved in the postwar decades and that represented the essence of the various European social models. This process was facilitated as much by the substantial democratic deficits of the EU, including the marginal status of the European Parliament, as by the extraordinary structural imbalance embodied by the institutional arrangements that govern European decisionmaking processes and the implementation of common European policies. This arrangement gives priority to competition and monetary issues at the expense of social demands. While member states that fail to meet the convergence criteria are threatened with financial penalties, there are no sanctions in the case of a member state falling short of employment targets.”

    Christoph Hermann (2007). Neoliberalism in the European Union (pp. 61–90). Studies in Political Economy, 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/19187033.2007.11675092 [HUB]
  5. "Economic accession criteria". European Commission. Archived from the original on 2024-01-07. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  6. “Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) enshrines the principle of neutrality of the Treaties as regards the system of property ownership in the Member States. It follows that the Treaties are also neutral as regards public or private ownership of undertakings.

    In light of this, EC law does not prohibit the nationalisation of undertakings. It has to be pointed out, however, that a Member State nationalising a private undertaking has to act like a private market economy operator as regards both the purchase price and the management of the nationalised undertaking. Otherwise, State aid rules (Articles 107 and 108 TFEU) would apply.

    The same is true as regards privatisation of public undertakings. If a Member State privatising a public undertaking does not act like a private market economy operator when setting the price, State aid rules would apply. A private market economy operator would, in general, be assumed to try to achieve the highest price possible for the undertaking in question. Market conditions can in general be assumed if an undertaking is privatised through the sale of shares on the stock exchange, for example, or if an open, transparent and unconditional tender has taken place and the undertaking has been sold to the highest bidder. For further details, the Commission would like to refer the Honourable Member to the 23rd Competition Policy report of 1993 as well as the Guidance paper on state aid compliant financing, restructuring and privatisation of state-owned enterprises.”

    [Margrethe] Vestager (2015-05-13). "Parliamentary question E-003938/2015(ASW), Answer given by Ms Vestager on behalf of the Commission" European Parliament.
  7. Eric Zuesse (2022-11-07). "U.S. and Allies Vote For Nazism at U.N." Countercurrents. Archived from the original on 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  8. Jump up to: 8.0 8.1 Ramzy Baroud (2023-07-10). "Burning the Quran and the Counter-Offensive: Why the West Is Panicking" MintPress News. Archived from the original on 2023-07-12.
  9. Muhammed Shabeer (2019-09-27). "European Parliament’s anti-communist resolution draws widespread criticism" Peoples Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  10. Ben Norton (2022-10-15). "In neocolonial rant, EU says Europe is ‘garden’ superior to rest of world’s barbaric ‘jungle’" Multipolarista. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  11. "Frontex". Abolish Frontex. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  12. Ainhoa Ruiz Benedicto, Pere Brunet (2018-11-09). "Building walls" Transnational Institute. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  13. "€600,000 for Hitler's political descendants: How the EU funds Neo-Nazi Parties" (2016-05-12). In Defense of Communism. Retrieved 2022-03-29.