THE EUROPEAN UNION

Supranational(ism) is a term which signifies that something is above the national level. It may refer to
the institution, policies or a particular type of cooperation/integration; or an approach to the study of the
EU which emphasizes the autonomy of the European institutions and the importance of common
European policies.

Intergovernmental(ism) is a theory of European integration that privileges the role of states. The term is
used to describe cooperation that involves sovereign states, which occurs on a government-to-government
basis, without the extensive involvement of the supranational actors.

Federalism is an ideological position which suggests that everyone can be satisfied by combining
national and regional or territorial interests in a complex web of checks/balances between a central
government and a multiplicity of regional governments. In an EU context it tends to imply an ideological
approach with advocates the creation of a federal state in Europe.

Integration is a general concept which implies the act of combining parts of a unified whole a dynamic
process of change. European integration is usually associated with the intensely institutionalized form of
cooperation found in Western Europe after 1951.

Closer cooperation was established by the Amsterdam Treaty and introduced instruments that allowed
groups of states who wish to integrate further provided for in the Treaties to do so.

Codecision is a complicated three-stage decision-making procedure that involves both the EU Council
and the European Parliament in making European legislation, thereby enhancing the role of the EP in the
legislative process. It was introduced at TEU and simplified at the Amsterdam Treaty. It refers to decision
making jointly by the EP and the Council.

Neo-functionalism is a theory of European integration which sees integration as an incremental process,

involving the spillover of integration in one sector to others, ultimately leading to a kind of political
community.

Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) is a system of voting in the EU Council which attributes a number of
votes to each member state (roughly related to their size). A majority of these votes (currently 71%) is
needed for legislation to be agreed in the Council, implying that some states will be outvoted, but will
have to apply the legislation all the same.

Superstate is a political term which implies that the aim of supporters of European integration is to turn
the EU into a national (?) state with connotations of the detachment of the elites and the European
institutions from ordinary citizens.
 The EuroeanUnin

Doris Jovovic Page 2