NE - Human Geography, con't. Lesson

Human Geography, continued

The History of Unification Efforts

After World War II ended in Europe, the three small countries of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg realized that together they would be much stronger and recover more quickly from the war than if they remained separate. Belgium had banking and business; the Netherlands had industry, farming, and the world-class port of Rotterdam on the Rhine River; and Luxembourg had agricultural resources. To help recover from World War II, in 1944 the three countries signed an economic pact called the Benelux Agreement (after the first syllables of each country's name), which provided a successful example of unification and cooperation.

In 1957, the more prominent countries of France, West Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, and Belgium got together and signed the   Treaty of Rome, which created the Common Market. This agreement provided the structure necessary to unify Europe under a European Union (EU) in 1992. Despite many problems, since World War II, steady efforts have been made toward European unification. The EU is in many ways an indicator of globalization. It has been created as an economic trading bloc that could compete with the United States and Japan.

Supranationalism

Supranationalism is defined as the voluntary association of three or more independent states willing to yield some measure of sovereignty for mutual benefit. Nations are often hesitant to give up any sense of independence or autonomy, especially with the strong drive toward nation-state status. Supranationalism and unification can be a painful process. With common standards and a common currency comes the reality that a common cultural landscape might develop. Supranationalism could erode the uniqueness of each state as Europe becomes more of a "United States of Europe."

To address the differences in the many currencies used in Europe, the EU introduced a common currency called the euro. This solution encountered resistance but was accepted by most EU members. Great Britain never changed currencies and in June of 2016, the people voted to exit the EU. The British Exit has been called BREXIT. Britain officially started the exit phase by initiating Article 50 under which the United Kingdom left the EU on January 31st, 2020. 

 

Unification has come with challenges. It created economic problems between the wealthy industrialized countries and the poorer regions of southern Europe. The changes in travel that occurred after the formation of the EU led to Britain's exit. Before the EU, people traveling between European countries encountered border checks at which their passports were checked. After the formation of the EU, this changed.

Once inside the EU, there were no border stops, and traffic and travel became streamlined with common laws, making travel between member nations like travel between US states. This is part of the reason that many of the people in Great Britain chose to leave the EU. Without border checks, many more people came into the country and the supremacy of EU laws caused the UK to not be able to control or curtail immigration into their own country. As a result of these changes, the British people voted to leave the EU.

European countries must confront both the centrifugal forces that rally their nations to remain uniquely independent and the centripetal forces that call for integration into the EU. The strong devolutionary forces that advocate for nation-state status are challenged by the need to belong to a larger union for economic survival. Europeans are caught between holding on to cultural heritage and moving forward economically in a competitive global economy. The EU is currently the largest economy in the world.

About the European Union 

According to the 1993 Copenhagen European Council, "a country has to meet certain requirements to join the EU. These requirements include a stable democracy which respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a country's fulfillment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council." (Information quoted from the official European Union website https://europa.edu/european-union/index_en Links to an external site.)

A majority of EU members also hold membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is a political alliance between Western European countries, Canada, and the United States. The EU is one of many global supranational entities. Such economic and political associations have increased across the globe. Every continent has its own array of national agreements between countries that are designed to provide greater opportunities and advantages for its members.

Competition for labor and resources drives the need for smaller countries to join to compete economically in the global marketplace.

 

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