Spain and the European Union

Spain and the European Union

Why did Spain join the European Union? What was the criterion that Spain possessed that the European Union found sufficient enough for it to allow Spain's entry into the European Union? In order to answer these questions, an overview of the European Union and its functions and aims has to be studied at the outset. The European Union has recognized that trade is the one method by which the poorer countries of the world would be able to better themselves, and it does all it can to encourage trade and exports between the poor countries of the world. (Europa, the Gateway to the European Union)

The European Union also offers aid to poorer and developing countries all over the world, and helps them boost their economy and their productive capacity, fight poverty and other debilitating conditions so that they would also be able to join the global economy, and prosper as any other developed country elsewhere in the world would. Therefore, to encourage trade and economy in developing countries, the European Union, in the year 1971, created a 'generalized system of preferences', or what is also known as the GSP, wherein it has not only removed tariffs but has also removed quotas from the imports from those developing countries that it has trade relations with. The European Union has also removed tariffs on all exports for some 'least developed countries' numbering 49, all over the world, from the year 2001. Arms are, however, exempted under this policy. (Overview of the European Union Activities: Development)

It is a fact that the European Union enjoys a very good trading relationship with the 78 countries that come under the African-Caribbean Group, and if all rich countries of the world were to follow this particular model relationship, then it would be a definite boon to the developing countries. However, it has been noticed that, of late, the membership of the African-Caribbean Group in the European Union trade market has been on a steady decline, and this group has become marginalized in world trade as a direct result. This is the main reason why the European Union generally concentrates on providing financial aid and also technical assistance to the developing countries of the world so that they may be able to enjoy increased production capabilities and also strengthen their administrative capacities. Their innate physical as well as social infrastructure would undergo positive changes, and they would be able to reap more benefits from international trade opportunities and avail of more inward investments so that their economic base would be strengthened. (Overview of the European Union Activities: Development)

The European Union is, for this very reason, combining trade as well as aid to the developing countries in such a way that these countries would find it more useful, and this is the reason that it is at present negotiating with the ACP countries in the creation and development of a set of plans that should be in place by the year 2008. According to these plans, these countries should be able to think about integrating with their neighbors in preparation for global integration, and this would not only help them apply principles of good governance to their own country but would also help them in their creation of institutional capacities. As long as the European Union continues in its efforts to keep its markets open and remove any existing barriers to the exports from these countries, the ACP countries will grow and develop at a much faster rate than before.

It must be stated at this point that the European Union and its member countries together pay about a $30 Billion as public aid, mostly in the form of non-repayable grants to the developing countries all over the world, and about $6 billion is paid through the European Union. The Union however hopes to raise this amount to $39 billion by the end of the year 2006. The target of the European Union is to raise about 0.7% of their GNP every year on the aid for the developing countries, however, the fact is that it is only Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg that have reached this target; the rest are attempting to achieve it. Though most of the aid granted by the European Union is in the form of non-repayable grants, sometimes, soft loans and they grant investment capital through the European Investment Bank, or the EIB, the European Union's funding source over he past many years. (Overview of the European Union Activities: Development)

The European Union has, over the years, funded quite a few projects in developing countries. Sometimes, even if the money granted is only a small amount, the benefits of the aid are tremendous. For example, silk weavers in Cambodia were trained and granted equipment of a basic kind so that they could start their own small-scale industries and learn to be self-sufficient. Certain traders in Peru were helped to export more of their goods, farmers in Namibia were granted aid to start up their own businesses, and finances were provided to a business venture in Senegal so that the quality of the goods being produced could be improved, and technical aid and expertise were provided to farmers in Egypt whose potato crops were being threatened by a form of pest. These are some of the successes enjoyed by the European Union when it granted aid to developing countries and saw how the poor benefited out of the help rendered. (Overview of the European Union Activities: Development)

Spain is a Kingdom that is located in the Southwest of Europe, with the borders of France and Andorra. It is comprised of a few islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, some small cities in the North of Africa, and some islands in the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain joined the European Union in the year 1986. Today, a state can be a member of the European Union only if it is able to fulfill the criterion as stated in the 'Copenhagen Criteria' because these criteria were officially established in the year 1993 after an European Union Convention held in Copenhagen. The member must demonstrate stability and a firm stature as regards democracy, human rights, and so on. (Spain) When it was accepted that Spain fit the entire criterion dictated in the rules for joining the European Union, it was decided that Spain would become a part of this great group of countries.

The Economic and Regional development of Spain based on: Grants and Funds: When the European Union is to fund a project; it will not be paid directly by the European Commission, but by the national as well as the regional authorities of the various member states. Most of the grants that are paid under the Common Agricultural Policy are paid in this manner, as are the payments made under the financial instruments of the structural policies, like for example, those that come under the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, and so on. These form a bulk of the funding grants offered by the European Union. Sometimes, direct grants are offered to certain beneficiaries like some public or private bodies like Universities, NGOs, certain interest groups, etc. when funding is needed to carry out research in areas like education and training, environment protection, consumer protection and benefits, etc. (Structural Funds)

When some external policies of the European Union are to be implemented, then too grants are granted directly. Among the various 'structural funds' that were granted by the European Union, the 'Objective 1' was a very important one as far as Spain is concerned. This grant was labeled as 'Programs under Objectives 1 and 2 for the Programming Period 2000 to 2006'. Under the 'general objectives' of the plan, economic and social cohesion are considered to be the primary issues so that any sort of structural imbalances in the concerned regions could be corrected and changed. Under 'Objective 1', regions that were actually lagging behind were included, while under 'Objective 2', any areas that were at present undergoing either economic or social changes or both at the same time were included. The conversions could be due to either declining rural areas, or areas being restructured because of a growth of industries, or they could be urban areas finding it difficult to cope with the changes in their areas, or even areas that were undergoing a crisis because of the changes in habitat, like for example, in the area of fisheries. (Structural Funds)

The various actions that were recommended as solutions under the Objective 1 and the Objective 2 for these countries were as follows: financial aid would be granted to those investments that were dedicated to either creating or to maintaining jobs, or to both. Certain areas of investment like that of developing the infrastructure of any unit, like for example, that of transport, telecommunications, energy, the renovation and repair of certain run-down and destroyed rural areas, the diversification of economic areas, etc. grants would also be offered under revitalization measures and for the support of local enterprises either small or medium, and improve the company's access to finances and to credit, giving direct aid to certain investments, etc. (Structural Funds) Cohesion Funds are those granted to those states that are lagging behind in terms of economic development concerning areas like transport and the environment so that their chances of integration into the Economic and Monetary Fund are not spoiled. The funds granted under this Cohesion fund are to be used for the development and implementation of projects in the field of the maintenance of the environment and the field of transportation. The beneficiaries, generally, are those authorities, public or private, who are responsible for carrying out and completing the project successfully. (Cohesion Funds)

What must be stated at this point is that Objective 1 and Objective 2 Interventions, Structural Funds, and Cohesion Funds all have had a tremendous impact on the economic as well as regional development of Spain. When taken as separate segments, with 'Employment' as the first segment, there are several issues to be considered. One specific grant is that which is given for the purpose of providing information and training for workers' organizations. The activities of the European Trade Union Institute, also known, as the ETUI, the activities and actions of the European Trade Union College, and those of the European Center for Worker's Questions will be considered as being a part and parcel of the granting of the money to those who need it. The various types of actions and activities that would have to follow the acceptance of the grant would be that of organizing preparatory surveys and researches, preparation of material for the organization of seminars and meetings on the subject, setting up conferences, and setting up databases, and also networks. (Employment)

The main persons or organizations to avail the benefit of such employment grants would be the various European social partners' organizations and also other regional and local or national partners who represent the issues of workers. Another type of grant that would be awarded for the sake of the improvement of employment issues is the 'National awareness raising actions on social inclusion'. According to the terms and conditions to be fulfilled for the availability of this grant, the organization that prepares any proposals for taking specific actions towards increasing the awareness among the members of the European Union countries on issues of poverty and social exclusion, issues that must be discussed with appropriate plans for inculcating changes in them so that these adverse conditions can be improved, and more people are made aware of the phenomenon of extreme poverty and social exclusion that may or may not be a direct result of the poverty. (Employment)

In the area of Education, several grants are given to those organizations that would work towards improving education. The EC-U.S. Program for Cooperation in the field of higher education and vocational education is one such grant. The objective of this grant is to undertake cooperative efforts with the United States of America and with Canada in the fields of higher education and vocational training. Universities and various other centers of education would benefit from these grants, as would vocational training institutes. These centers of education would be able to utilize these grants to get involved in joint projects with other countries like the U.S.A. And Canada in order to improve their own methods of education and of vocational training.

Another such grant is the 'Enhancing EU related activities in Canadian universities', which aims at promoting the understanding of European integration and also of European Union relations with Canada at both regional and national levels. Several seminars and lectures and workshops and research projects would be carried out and implemented as a part of the provisions of the grant. The grant awarded to the cause of the European Union Institute in Japan provides for the aim at developing the university into a center of academic excellence, with a further aim of developing the base of the European Union in Japan so that research work and specialized studies and courses would be carried out. Towards this aim, regular meetings of the European Union members with the Japanese would be organized very often, as would conferences and seminars and workshops.. (EC-U.S. Program for Cooperation in the field of higher education and vocational education and training / EC-Canada Program for Cooperation in the field of higher education and training)

The 'Jean-Monnet Project European Integration in University Studies' is given to ease the subject of European studies into other universities of education by the means of start-up subsidies. The Pilot Cooperation project of higher education is also aimed towards setting up a framework for the probability of a two-way student exchange or mobility program. (EC-U.S. Program for Cooperation in the field of higher education and vocational education and training / EC-Canada Program for Cooperation in the field of higher education and training) Several grants are given in the field of transport too, for the improvement in the issues of road safety and transport safety. The European Commission grants these funds so that the general objectives of the transport policy as well as in the sector of the management of energy and transport issues are fulfilled. Studies and campaigns would be conducted not only in the European Union but also in the candidate countries and in the European Economic area so that road safety would be improved dramatically.

According to the principles under this grant, certain specific areas must be addressed. The first one would be that of 'user behavior'. According to the policies underlined in this section, there would be constant checks to enforce the various rules of the road, and penalties for disobedience would be severe. Both private as well as professional driving must undertake training according to the standard training methods prescribed, the physical and mental fitness of the driver would be checked constantly, stringent action would be taken to check whether the driver of the vehicle is under the influence of drugs or drinks or both, and the driver appropriately penalized, the rules of safety belts and child safety measures strictly implemented, and so on. The specialized vehicle technologies of impact resistance, of roadworthiness of a particular vehicle, and the tests that are used to examine it, and the issue of vehicle safety would all be under this section. (Transport)

In addition, road infrastructure that includes safety evaluations of roads and tunnels, etc., and the section of road technology that involves certain technical issues like transport of freight as well as passengers by road, and all the road safety measures that must be implemented to make it safe, and the section under which information and databases are gathered about road accidents, and analyses on these incidents, and all the previously gathered information on these issues are included in the road safety measures that must be implemented after availing the grant. Maritime accidents and the various safety measures that must be taken to improve maritime safety would be included in the list of issues of road and transport safety.

Among these, the issues of shipping accidents, especially for bulk carriers, and the analyses of the causes behind these accidents and the measures to be taken in order to improve the existing conditions will be a part of the provisions of the grant, and the funding will be also used for sustainable mobility policies especially for shipping and maritime activities. SURE is another grant that would be issued for the purpose of improving the safety of the transport of radioactive materials. The transport of radioactive materials is an area where dangers abound, and strict standards must be maintained so that safety standards can be tightened and improved, and the legislation that will arise in the case of an accident or nay other incident mutts be developed so that it may be useful in the present as well as in the future too. Information and literature will be provided to all the members of the European Union so that everyone is aware of the rules and regulations that are involved. (Transport)

All these grants and also others like grants for agriculture, culture, cross border cooperation, demography, energy, health, international cooperation, organized crime, rural developments, science and technology, and so on, have served to improve the conditions of the countries of the European union in economic and regional ways, and Spain has also benefited immensely form them. The impact of these loans or grants is long reaching and the credit goes to the European Union for having conceived of such grants and funds for those countries that need them the most, and would derive the maximum benefit out of them.

Community Policies: How have the European Union's Community Policies had an impact on Spain? The Article 151 of the Treaty of the European Union that establishes the European Community as such, states that the capabilities of a community in a cultural atmosphere will be defined and that a certain community would respect the culture and the tradition of other cultures in a way that diversity would be promoted and encouraged. Cultural and community are interrelated in certain ways, and the members of the European Union must remember this. The issue of the incorporation of equal opportunity into the community policies of the European Union is also an important one that has served to exert an influence on the economic and the regional development of Spain. The objective as stated in the policy is that on account of ensuring that there will be equality among men and women, there must be a general mobilization of all the general community policies by the system of introducing, at the very outset, in other words, at the design stage, an awareness of the impact that it will have on the situations of men and women in their working lives and their personal lives. (Culture and Community Policies)

This policy was entitled the 'Incorporating Equal opportunities into all Community Policies and Activities'. The various points that are mentioned within this policy are as follows: as regards the employment and the labor market, a legal framework on which to base the gender equality policy will be undertaken by the European Union. Therefore, not only will there be equal opportunities for both men and women, but the female will be supported in her education and in her entrepreneurship wherein she will be supported, by a series of adaptations in the policy, in her adaptation to her family life and working life, which invariably suffers when the female tries to integrate both. Generally, support is not provided by the workplace, but this policy aims at changing it. Another provision of this policy is that women will be included in the development of the cooperation policy for developing countries that involves development cooperation in gender issues. Women will also be included, with their spouses, in the SMEs in areas like agriculture, fisheries, and measures will be taken by the European Commission to help women in the SME sectors by not only improving their work flexibility, but also by offering her a good access to finances and also by allowing her to choose her own individual vocational preferences.

The European Council generally asks its member states to take advantage of all the existing possibilities that are to be found in the several different forms of structural funding operations so that equal opportunities among men and women and in other areas of differences would be given its due importance, and also for the purpose of changing and adapting the existing programs so that the priorities explained in Cannes and in Madrid against unemployment and for equality of opportunity among the two genders. The European Council ensures that authorities of the Commission and the member states will all ensure that the monitoring of these policies are implemented with appropriate care. Since the year 1996, there has been in place one official from each Directorate General who takes care that equal opportunities are offered to men and women. (Culture and Community Policies)

Another community policy that has had a great impact on Spain as well as on other member countries of the European Union is the issue of education for the youth of the states. It is a fact that education is an issue that seriously concerns all the European countries, but the basic structures of different countries are different from each other, not only between other countries but also within the country. The European Union serves as a forum for the exchange and sharing of several different ideas in the field of education, however, it does not have a single common education policy; it rather attempts to create a spirit of real and genuine cooperation between the member countries or Member States by preserving the innate rights of each state by not inducing changes in the content and the organization of the training and the education methods of the states. The European Union offers multinational training and education, and also the system of youth partnerships among the Member States. (Education, Training, Youth)