A United Europe

-Erasmus programs-

Stoica Alexandru
Political Science
 Content

1.The idea of a United Europe

2.European Programs-Erasmus Program
3.Concluzion
4.Bibliography
 The idea of a United Europe

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that
are located primarily in Europe. The main purpose of this Union is a close collaboration
between the peoples of Europe, where decisions are taken as close as possible to citizens. It
must reconcile the Member States, which inevitably encounter differences. The United
States of Europe, the European state,[1][2] the European super state, the European
federation and Federal Europe are names used to refer to several similar hypothetical
scenarios of the unification of Europe as a single sovereign federation of states (hence super
state), similar to the United States of America, both as projected by writers of speculative
fiction and science fiction and by political scientists, politicians, geographers, historians and
futurologists.
The term "United States of Europe" – as a direct comparison with the United States of
America – would imply that all the European states would acquire a status similar to that of
a U.S. state, becoming constituent parts of a European federation acting as one country. The
member states of the European Union do have many common policies within the EU and on
behalf of the EU that are sometimes suggestive of a single state. It has a common executive
(the European Commission), a single High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, a common European Security and Defense Policy, a supreme court
(European Court of Justice – but only in matters of European Union law) and an
intergovernmental research organization (the Eiro forum with members like CERN). The
euro is often referred to as the "single European currency", which has been officially
adopted by nineteen EU countries.1
However, the EU does not have a single constitution, a single government, a single
foreign policy set by that government, a single taxation system contributing to a single
exchequer or a single military. There are no European trial judges who have sworn loyalty to
Europe over loyalty to their home countries and no European prisons. Without its own
independent courts and prisons, the European Union's ability to curb corruption in member
states is severely limited (especially in contrast to the federal government of the United
States). The European Court of Human Rights (not to be confused with the European Court
of Justice) is also independent of the EU. It is an element of the Council of Europe, which
like ESA counts EU members and non-members alike in its membership. present, the
European Union is a free association of sovereign states designed to further their shared
aims. Other than the vague aim of "ever closer union" in the Solemn Declaration on
European Union, the EU (meaning its member governments) has no current policy to create
either a federation or a confederation. However, in the past Jean Monnet, a person associated
with the EU and its predecessor the European Economic Community, did make such
proposals. A wide range of other terms are in use to describe the possible future political
structure of Europe as a whole and/or the EU. Some of them, such as "United Europe", are

1 http://www.cer.eu/in-the-press/europe-new-superpower acces at 8:00PM on 5/01/2018

 used often and in such varied contexts, but they have no definite constitutional status. In the
United States, the concept enters serious discussions of whether a unified Europe is feasible
and what impact increased European unity would have on the United States of America's
relative political and economic power.
According to Eurobarometer (2013), 69% of citizens of the EU were in favor of direct
elections of the President of the European Commission and 46% support the creation of a
united EU army.
Two thirds of respondents think that the EU (instead of a national government alone)
should make decisions on foreign policy and more than half of respondents think that the EU
should also make decisions on defense.
44% of respondents support the future development of the European Union as a federation
of nation states, 35% are opposed. The Nordic countries were the most negative of a united
Europe in this study, as 73% of the Nordics opposed the idea. A large majority of the people
for whom the EU conjures up a positive image support the further development of the EU
into a federation of nation states (56% versus 27%).
The United States of Europe is widely hypotheticals, fictionalized or depicted as a
superpower that is as powerful as, or more powerful than, the United States. Some people,
such as T.R. Reid, Andrew Redding and Mark Leonard, believe that the power of the
hypothetical United States of Europe will rival that of the United States in the twenty-first
century. Leonard cites seven factors: Europe's large population, Europe's large economy,
Europe's low inflation rates, Europe's central location in the world, the unpopularity and
perceived failure of American foreign policy in recent years and certain European countries'
highly developed social organization and quality of life (when measured in terms such as
hours worked per week and income distribution). Some experts claim that Europe has
developed a sphere of influence called the "Euro sphere".2

European programs

EU policies are implemented through a wide range of programs and funds which provide
financial support to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries such as farmers, students,
scientists, NGOs, businesses, towns, regions and many others. The programs of the 2014-
2020 multiannual financial framework, the amounts allocated to each of them and their
Legal basis are listed below.

2 https://web.archive.org/web/20081029005255/http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/ramosmrosovsky200412200804.asp
access at 1:00PM on 6/01/2018
 1. Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund
Heading: Security and citizenship
Total amount: € 3 137,42 million (current prices)
Aims: The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund focuses on people flows and the
integrated management of migration. The fund supports actions addressing all aspects of
migration, including asylum, legal migration, integration and the return of irregularly staying
non-EU nationals.

2. Civil Protection Mechanism

Heading: Security and citizenship
Total amount: € 223,78 million (current prices)
Aims: The Civil Protection Mechanism coordinates the EU's response to natural and man-
made disasters within and outside the Union.

3. Common Foreign and Security Policy

Heading: Global Europe
Total amount: € 2 338,72 million (current prices)
Aims: the role of the EU's foreign and security policy is to preserve peace and strengthen
international security; to promote international cooperation; and to develop and consolidate
democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

4. Creative Europe
Heading: Security and citizenship
Total amount: € 1 462,72 million (current prices)
Aims: The Creative Europe program supports European cinema and cultural and creative
sector. It supports tens of thousands of artists, cultural professionals and cultural
organizations in the performing arts, fine arts, publishing, film, TV, music, interdisciplinary
arts, heritage, and the video games industry, allowing them to operate across Europe, to
reach new audiences and to develop the skills that are needed in the digital age. By helping
European cultural works to reach new audiences in other countries, the program contributes
to safeguarding and promoting Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity.

5. Horizon 2020
Heading: Competitiveness for growth and jobs
Total amount: € 79 401,83 million (current prices)
Aims: The Horizon 2020 program aims at securing Europe's global competitiveness,
strengthening its position in science and its industrial leadership in innovation by providing
major investment in key technologies, greater access to capital and support for SMEs. The
program aims at tackling societal challenges by helping to bridge the gap between research
and the market. Horizon 2020 is designed to be a different kind of EU research program -
 funding the entire value creation chain from fundamental research through to market
innovation, and with drastically less red tape. 3
6. Erasmus+:
Erasmus+ is the EU's program to support education, training, youth and sport in
Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million
Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad.
Set to last until 2020, Erasmus+ doesn't just have opportunities for students.
Merging seven prior programs, it has opportunities for a wide variety of individuals
and organizations.
Detailed information on these opportunities, including eligibility criteria, is available
in the Erasmus+ Program Guide. An indicative funding guide for some centralized
opportunities is also available.
The aim of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs,
social equity and inclusion, as well as the aims of ET2020, the EU's strategic
framework for education and training.
Erasmus+ also aims to promote the sustainable development of its partners in the
field of higher education, and contribute to achieving the objectives of the EU Youth
Strategy.
Specific issues tackled by the program include:
 Reducing unemployment, especially among young people
 Promoting adult learning, especially for new skills and skills required by the labor
market.
 Encouraging young people to take part in European democracy
 Supporting innovation, cooperation and reform
 Reducing early school leaving
4
 Promoting cooperation and mobility with the EU's partner countries

Conclusion
In my opinion, the idea of a united Europe is a close, future, achievable project that will
bring many benefits to all European countries. The experience of the Erasmus + program
helped me to become more independent, to improve my English level, to become more
responsible and most important to renounce stereotypes, understanding that we are all the
same and we need to help each other’s, not to criticize. I hope in a future United Europe

3 http://ec.europa.eu/budget/mff/programmes/index_en.cfm#erasmus access at 5:00PM on 7/01/2018

4 http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about_en access at 8:00PM on 7/01/2018

 Bibliography

Sites:

1. http://www.cer.eu/in-the-press/europe-new-superpower

2.https://web.archive.org/web/20081029005255/http://www.nationalreview.c
om/comment/ramosmrosovsky200412200804.asp

3. http://ec.europa.eu/budget/mff/programmes/index_en.cfm#erasmus

4. http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/about_en