SymbiMUN Model United Nations Conference. European Union Study Guide

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Roderick Wilson
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1 SymbiMUN 2017 Model United Nations Conference European Union Study Guide Agenda Measures to Strengthen Eastern Europe in the Face of Rising Disturbance from Neighboring Nations

2 Letter from the executive board Greetings delegates! It is a pleasure to be serving as the executive board members for the EUROPEAN UNION at SymbiMUN 2k17. To the veterans of MUN s we promise fruitful and engaging debate and to all beginners, a perfect platform to begin your MUN experience. The following pages intend to guide you with the nuances of the agenda as well as the council. The guide touches upon all the different aspects that are relevant and will lead to fruitful debate in the council. It will provide you with a bird s eye view of the gist of the issues and it will also help you format solutions to the problems addressed. Although it has to be noted that this study guide is a basic background check as to what you will encounter in committee sessions. Your research may start with, but must not be limited to this study guide. As the diplomat of your allotted country, it is our hope that you put in wholehearted efforts to research and comprehensively grasp all important facets of the diverse agenda. All the delegates should be prepared well in order to make the council s direction and debate productive. After all, only then will you truly be able to represent your country in the best possible way. Furthermore we have tried our level best to break down complex terms and dwell upon all aspects related to the agenda. Please feel free to contact us if you encounter any obstacles during research. Research ahoy! Chairperson, Nyja Gowda nyja.gowda@gmail.com Vice Chairperson Utkarsha Bhangaonkar

3 CONTENTS- 1.ABOUT THE COMMITTEE: 1.1 ABOUT EU 1.2 FUNCTIONS AND POWERS 2.ABOUT THE TOPIC : 2.1 AGENDA BACKGROUNDS 3.RESEARCH: 3.1 LINKS 3.2 QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED IN COMMITTEE

4 1.About the committee- 1.1 About EU- The European Union grew out of a desire for peace in a war-torn and divided continent. Five years after World War II ended, France and Germany came up with a plan to ensure their two countries would never go to war against each other again. The result was a deal signed by six nations to pool their coal and steel resources in 1950.Seven years later a treaty signed in Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) - the foundations of today's European Union. The UK was one of three new members to join in the first wave of expansion in Today the EU has 28 member states with a total population of more than 500 million. 1.2 Powers and functions- There are four key institutions which work together to run the EU - the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the Court of Justice. They are basically a commission of European member states who sit together and make decisions that apply for all member states in an indiscriminate manner. 2.1 AGENDA HISTORY- CRIMEA- A situation of cultural as well as geographical division has put Ukraine in a major crisis both economically as well as politically. The problem goes back hundreds of years ago when under a movement which was called Russification many Russian origin civilians were made to settle in current day Crimea.As the years passed various rulers and leaders changed and Ukraine seemed to have no tumults in its political as well as social framework but their always existed a division among the 28% Russian speaking as well as Russian origin

5 civilians who all settled in east Ukraine or more specifically present day Crimea and the elite Ukraine origin, Ukrainian speaking civilians who all settled in west Ukraine. The problem arose when ex-prime minister Viktor Yanukovich sidelined the EU and took Russia s side which meant less economic development for Ukraine. This angered the west Ukrainians who sought the removal of the Prime Minister from his post but the east Ukrainians or specifically the Crimeans were in favor of this move by Prime Minister Yanukovich. This resulted in a referendum which in turn caused the exit of Prime Minister Yanukovich and the event angered the east of Ukraine. The popular rise among Crimea to leave Ukraine made it easy for Russian intervention. The intervention went on to extents were Russia held a referendum for Crimea to join Russia, but this was done in a wrong manner. Russian army walked into Crimea, took over a region and killed a large number of people. This event has caused economic as well as border instability which has put Ukraine in a crisis situation with a large number of refugees moving out. The situation is worse noting the influx of refugees coming into the country and Ukraine s refugee friendly policy. What will be the fate of Ukraine s economy, its relation with the EU and its refugee status? The current problem at hand- Destabilization in Ukraine is on the political as well as economical front. The interim Prime Minister who is currently in office after the infamous exit of Yanukovich has not been given the same amount of liberty to take decisions without having to face a popular uproar among the civilians. The black sea fleet: Ukraine and Russia had tensions regarding borders but on 31 may, 1997, the treaty of cooperation and friendships between Ukraine and Russia. In the context of previous attempts that Crimea and Sebastopol belonged to Ukraine, this treaty of fundamental importance. At the same time the two parties signed a joint

6 declaration on the fate of the black sea fleet; the naval base of the Russian army would remain in Sebastopol due to a 20 year lease that runs out in After Yanukovich s election, he made the policy of maintaining the ships of the Russian army in Ukrainian waters, this infuriated the civilians even more. This not only ripped a large sum out of Ukraine s economic reserves but also served as an industrial-technical base of exploitation for Russia. Due to the presence of Russian ships the regions are more prone to attacks as well. On 22 February 2014, Russian special force units took control of the strategic buildings on the peninsula, including the buildings of the Crimean autonomous republic parliament. Over the course of time, Russians took control of strategic installations of civil and military infrastructures, blocking Ukrainian military units. This direct annexation of the Crimean region by Russia was considered the most staining mistake in a humanitarian matter committed by Russia. The Russian strike back calling their involvement in Crimea a way to free Crimea from Ukraine with its own will. Financial crunch- Ukraine has spent a large sum of money on its defense, patrolling, providing aid and shelter for refugees and settling displaced civilians. Under all this expense it has itself created a hole in its economy but with the help of a few organizations they may be able to bail out of the situation. The IMF in the spring approved a loan package for Ukraine for $17 billion over two years. The EU has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of an announced $15 billion support package for Ukraine, with payments conditioned on Ukraine enacting tough reforms like ending gas subsidies. Washington has promised more than $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees and technical assistance. In late August 2014, German chancellor

7 Angela Merkel pledged nearly $700 million in aid to help Ukraine rebuild war-damaged areas in the east and aid refugees. Will Ukraine use this money to restart its falling economy or will it end up with a similar fate as of Greece? What is the role of the European Union? The EU s Eastern Partnership Program was established in 2009 to expand political and economic ties between the EU and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, while stopping short of offering membership to partner countries. The illfated association agreement negotiated by EU officials and the Yanukovich government involved a comprehensive free-trade deal. A number of analysts fault EU officials for neglecting the broader geopolitical implications of the deal for Russia, and declining to map out strategic aims for Europe. After Poroshenko s election, he pressed forward plans to sign the association agreement and Ukraine did so along with Moldova and Georgia on June 27, Poroshenko said after signing the agreement: Ukraine is underlining its sovereign choice in favor of membership of the EU. TREATIES ENTAILING THE EU- 2.1 The Schengen treaty This is an agreement between 4 non- EU nations and 22 EU nations making a total of 26 nations. This treaty or agreement offers freedom of movement to some 400million EU citizens, who can cross internal borders within the Schengen area freely and without need to carry a passport. The freedom of movement is a fundamental right of citizens under the 1992 Maastricht treaty.

8 This treaty s features include common asylum policies, enhanced police cooperation meaning that police can chase or pursue a suspect across the borders of member countries, it also encompasses access for enhanced cooperation in fighting crime. The Schengen treaty however has been on the receiving end of criticism with the live example of the Paris attacks which France connected to the open nature of the Schengen treaty. UK too opted out of the Schengen treaty in fright of its future implication and also felt tremors of this treaty in the recent London and Manchester attacks. 3.Research-

NATO Background Guide

NATO Background Guide As members of NATO you will be responsible for examining the Ukrainian crisis. NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an international organization composed of 28 member