LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies Activity 6c: UK and EU Government compared Background, organisation and resources This activity is designed to contrast the workings of government in the UK and the European Union (EU), i.e. the European Parliament, European Commission, Council of Ministers and Presidency in contrast to the UK Parliament, executive and judiciary. It is intended that the activity will also encourage discussion of the impact of EU membership on the UK. Participants will need a basic understanding of the UK system of parliamentary government and the role of the judiciary. Students may find it difficult to put the EU institutions into the correct headings, especially as there are two legislative bodies (Council of EU and the European Parliament), owing to the nature of the EU. Debate and discussion should be encouraged. The EU is not a state, it has supranational and intergovernmental elements. It is not sovereign. It should be stressed that the Commission is the executive bureaucratic body and not the legislative/decision-making body as portrayed in many parts of the UK media. Each participant will need a copy of the worksheet. Allow 45 minutes for the activity. This activity could be done as individual, paired or group work and further research may be necessary. Links to AQA specification The activity is linked to CIST 2 Making a difference, content outline What is the impact of the European Union on life in the UK and specifically The contrasting workings of government of the UK and the EU, i.e. the European Parliament, European Commission, Council of Ministers, Presidency vs UK Parliament, Executive and Monarchy. Aims of the activity To increase knowledge of the political institutions of the EU and the UK To promote discussion of the impact of the EU on the UK To provide an improved context as to whether UK membership of the EU is good or bad for British people. QCA post-16 citizenship learning objectives Demonstrate knowledge and understanding about citizenship issues Show understanding about key citizenship concepts. LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 1
Tasks Stage 1 In preparation for this activity participants will need to show an understanding of the UK system of parliamentary government and have an understanding of the role of Parliament and the Prime Minister/Cabinet. Knowledge of the independent role of the judiciary is also required. This should have formed part of their key stage 4 citizenship programme, but it would be sensible to check out their understanding before embarking on the rest of the activity. You should also make clear that the EU is not a state, and so does not have full sovereignty, therefore, there are difficulties with comparing the EU with the UK which is a state. The EU has both intergovernmental and supranational elements. Stage 2 Participants will need to examine the EU organisation chart and read the information regarding the roles of the EU institutions (UK and EU government compared further research may be necessary here). The diagram of EU institutions is reproduced from the BBC website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/europe/04/eu_parliament_guide/html/parliaments_powe rs.stm The following site has 12 lessons about the EU covering many different aspects of the work of the EU: http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_4/index_en.htm This site contains a visual representation of the legislative process of the EU. http://decide4europe.eun.org/ww/en/pub/role_play_2006/homepage.htm Extension research can include defining intergovernmental and supranational and finding out which EU institutions are intergovernmental and which are supranational. Students could work in small groups and each take a branch of EU government and compare it to its UK equivalent (e.g. Council of Ministers and the Cabinet). They can prepare a PowerPoint presentation and a simple handout for their peers to explain the findings. Stage 3 In stage 3 students should work in small groups to compare and contrast the institutions of the UK and the EU. They can begin with a simple card sort to make sure that they understand the institutions which form the different branches of government. Provide a set of UK and EU government compared cards for each group. Students will need to place the cards (European Parliament, Council of the European Union, European Commission and European Court of Justice) under the correct heading (Legislative, Executive or Judicial branch) and explain their decision to do so. Participants should discuss the comparison between the governance of the EU with that of the UK. They should make a chart showing similarities and differences. LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 2
Assessment opportunities Students can record their work under the Developing your own knowledge aspect of the Active Citizenship Profile. Ask students to write an essay with the following title: Compare and contrast the workings of the UK system of government with that of the European Union. LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 3
UK and EU government compared There are three branches to any form of political system: The executive branch The legislative branch The judicial branch. The executive branch is the body that implements or carries out laws and policy decisions. The legislative branch is the body in a political system that passes laws. The judicial branch is the body that interprets laws. What are the three branches in the UK political system and how they work? How does the European Union work? The Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers), which represents the member states, is the EU s main decision-taking body. When it meets at heads of state or government level, it becomes the European Council whose role is to provide the EU with political impetus on key issues. The European Parliament, which represents the people, shares legislative and budgetary power with the Council of the European Union. The European Commission, which represents the common interest of the EU, is the main executive body. It has the right to propose legislation and ensures that EU policies are properly implemented. The European Court of Justice has the job of ensuring that EU law is complied with and that the Treaties are correctly interpreted and applied. LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 4
How they work together Supervises European Commission Proposes legislation and budget appoints European Paliament Council of Ministers Citizens Co-decision National Governments EU Law EU Budget LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 5
UK and EU Government Compared Cards Legislative function Executive function Judicial function The Council of the European Union The EuropeanParliament The European Commission The European Court of Justice House of Lords House of Commons Cabinet HM Government (including civil service) Monarch LSIS Post-16 Citizenship Support Programme - Materials for A-level Citizenship Studies 6