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European Union Democratic
ABOUT THE EU
The European Union (EU) is a group of democratic European countries, joined by the common goal of peace and prosperity. The members of the EU have assigned some of their power to joint bodies in order to ensure specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically, with the best interests of the EU as a whole in mind.
Historically, the European Union was born during the Second World War due to a common goal of avoiding any further wars. In 1958 there were only six countries involved in the EU and the main focus tended to be trade and the economy. This was formerly titled as the European Community, which came to be reorganized in 1993 and renamed the European Union.
Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers...As of January 1, 2007, there are twenty-seven member countries of the European Union and it now also deals with a wide range of issues of direct importance for everyday life. The world has become increasingly interdependent in the 21st Century, and now more than ever it has become necessary for the European citizen to work collectively with people from countries other than their own to achieve shared aims and maintain a sense of unity.
Europe as a continent is culturally diverse, consisting of many different ethnicities and languages but also has mutual principles such as democracy, freedom, social justice and human rights. The EU aims to preserve and protect these principles and promotes teamwork and cooperation between and amongst the citizens of Europe, encouraging unity and making sure that decisions made are in the best interests of all.
http://europa.eu/abc/panorama/index_en.htm
The EU is also intended to promote peace and stability, to ensure safety for all citizens and present a united front without getting rid of the diverse cultures and languages. It has recognized the challenge in the 21st Century of globalization and since its integration it has much more economic, social, technological, commercial and political influence than if its member states had to act individually. By joining together these members are now significantly more powerful. http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_1/index_en.htm
LATEST ADDITIONS TO THE EU
On January 1st 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the latest countries to join the EU, and what ensued has been heated debate over the safety of these countries and exactly what they might offer to the EU. Many see these countries as nothing more than a drain on finances, due to them being the poorest countries in the EU and their volatile political history.
Bulgaria is a country which is developing quickly and undergoing significant economic changes. Tourist services are widely available, although conditions vary and some amenities may not be up to Western standards. Goods and services taken for granted in other European countries may not be available in many areas of Bulgaria. Bulgaria still bears many of the troubles of a former Eastern Bloc country in transition. Organized crime groups and petty theft criminals are highly prevalent in Bulgaria’s largely cash economy. Formerly under Communist Rule and still struggling to disentangle itself from the long-lasting effects, violence against women such as rape and domestic violence was not acknowledged and is still a problem today. http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/jun02phillips.html
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61641.htm
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=84224
Human-trafficking and child pornography is also a large problem in this country. Despite all of the problems however, Bulgaria’s entry into the EU has greatly improved the general security environment for tourists and business travelers alike. The ability for people to live and work in different countries and to get to know the people fosters understanding and tolerance and hence reduces the likelihood of future conflict.
Bulgaria needs time to recover from its recent migration tsunami and can only benefit from being a member of the EU. It will gain EU budget support and experience more trade, growth and investments.
It is also subject to EU’s Human Rights and Democratisation Policy. As stated in this policy, http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/human_rights/doc/brochure07_en.pdf
it concerns itself with the security of people, “encompassing both freedom from fear and freedom from want”. Bulgaria was subject to strict entry conditions to the EU and had to reform itself up in terms of corruption and organized crime, money-laundering and its justice system. While it has been argued that Bulgaria did not achieve these targets it has been deemed better to have Bulgaria as a member, rather than leaving them to flounder. If the situation does not improve, Bulgaria will find itself subject to certain safeguards from the Commission which could include food export bans and cuts to EU funds, such as agricultural and structural funds, as foreseen in the Accession Treaty.
ENLARGEMENT OF THE EU
Enlargement is a very powerful policy of the EU and has helped transfer Europe into a purposeful, decisive and contemporary democratic system. It has motivated improvements throughout the prospective and potential applicants. Each county benefits from the other having a flourishing economy and stable democracy. Enlargement is a vigilantly supervised course of action which helps the transformation of its members towards a unified sense of peace, stability, prosperity, democracy, human rights and regulations.
The EU sees the joining of Bulgaria and Romania as excellent steps towards their neighbouring countries joining in the near future, such as the Balkan countries. In order to achieve this, of course these countries will be subject to the same stringent entry requirements as Bulgaria and Romania. In this way, the EU is seeking to develop as many of these countries as possible and make them subject to the same policies as their more affluent members. The EU is hoping that by growing, and including more countries, the general standards of living and economies will improve and all-round Europe will be a safer destination. EU treaties say any European country can apply to join if it meets the conditions, such as democracy, respect for human rights, the rule of law and a market economy.
While many of its members are in favour of enlargement, countries such as France, the UK, Germany and Austria are not warming to the idea. The main point of argument appears to be immigration. While it promotes a healthy economy, there is a risk of an increase in organized crime and trafficking – yet there is also the ability for the EU to work together to tackle this, instead of the individual members concerned struggling alone. There is also a fear of not achieving complete integration as the EU expands. While this may be more difficult, it can also be argued that the larger the integration, the more profound and effective it will prove.
TOURISM IN THE EU
Significant opportunities are available for the tourism sector especially in terms of increasing tourism to the new EU countries. Romania and Bulgaria are currently benefiting form great public interest and extensive media coverage which is arousing or reinforcing interest in travelling to these areas. There is a widespread lack of knowledge about these countries, which could benefit from increasing their marketing as tourist destinations. They are much cheaper destination choices than their other EU members, with much to offer in the way of culture, scenery and language. In order to raise their profile
Tourism has been consciously attended to by the EU to help maintain relations and increase the attraction to the region for tourists, other regions around the world do not have had the ability to do so. A lack of financial and political development in areas of South East Asia, South America and Africa mean political boundaries bringing conflict are still very evident and tourism has not been a priority, thus having a negative appearance in comparison to tourist numbers in Europe.
Political stability encourages tourism because people will visit a country without wars and disputes.
Dallen Timothy (Political boundaries and tourism: borders as tourist attractions, 1999) points out that "the formalities commonly associated with international boundaries are considered bothersome and often add a perceived distance to certain tourist destinations".
International boundaries can create real and perceived barriers to travel, and with the collaboration of the EU the perceived safety and ease of travel is lessened. By keeping cordial relations with its members, the EU allows both tourists and citizens to essentially travel freely.
This may be why Europe leads the way with 441.5 million international arrivals 54.8% market share!
The forming of the EU has been a major advancement in tourism. It guides neighbouring countries on a similar line as goals of trade and tourism can be met with a joint focus. These goals that require a joint effort for stability and sustainability can only be healthy for their relationships and tourists. A country that may not individually have many tourist drawcards, can benefit from the upkeep of these relationships and boost their economy with the spending of tourists travelling to and from more desirable neighbouring countries.
When most tourists are planning overseas travel, perception is the most important thing and the factors that influence this include but are not restricted to the media, marketing and the general impact of political stability.
international boundaries effect the flow of tourists, their choice of destinations, planning and physical development of tourism, and marketing campaigns are all affected by the nature of political boundaries.
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