Spain+-DS

 **The European Union **  **How does the European Union benefit Europeans?**  
 * **Easy travel and trade.   **
 *  **A common currency in Europe, the Euro, allows easier trade between all countries in the European Union. **
 *  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The European Union has a mission to help protect the environment. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 80%; color: #54a0cf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **The European Union's policies encourage fair pay and treatment of its people.**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 80%; color: #54a0cf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **Working together to stop crime.**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 80%; color: #54a0cf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **Educational and training programs allow students to study abroad.**
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; color: #54a0cf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Free movement within the EU. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 80%; color: #54a0cf; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **More security at their external borders.**

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheedypj/2808217669/

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="color: #cb5d5d; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 130%; color: #c957f4; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 170%; color: #60d2d2; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> > ** Spain **
 * What is the purpose of the European Union?**
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> To bring peace, prosperity, and stability to Europe.   **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> To pool natural resources together for the benefit of all member states.   **
 * <span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **To provide for a fairer and safer world.**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">  **To promote wider knowledge of all 23 official languages.**
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> To end international hatred and rivalry in Europe.   **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> To create a shared cultural awareness.   <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">     **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Gives Europe an economic advantage in world markets.   **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">  **To preserve the cultures of the individual members while promoting solidari**
 * Why was the European Union Created?**
 * **One of the main reasons the EU was created was to preserve the cultural diversity of its people.**
 * **Created to overcome social and cultural divisions of its many people.**
 * **Made to ensure the safety of its people within and without.**
 * **A larger Union helps economic and social developement.**
 * **To give Europe an integrated economy on the global scale.**
 * **To bring peace and prosperity to its people.**
 * **Created to maintain the values of the people.**
 * **Created so that small countries can unite to form a larger group of people with common goals.**
 * A background history of the European Union:**
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Europe was the site of two World Wars, and then the European Union was created to bring peace to its people. **
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">May 9, 1950: Joint market in coal and steel was established between France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. **
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">March 25, 1957: The Treaty of Rome established the EEC (European Economic Community), a common market.**
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**July 20, 1963: Members of the EU signed a convention with former African colonies, giving them advantages in trading.**
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Jan 1, 1973: Denmark, Ireland, and the UK became members of the EU in its first expansion. **
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">7-10 June, 1979: First elections for the European Parliament. **
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Feb 17, 1986:The signing of the Single European Act, establishing an internal market. **
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #030303; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**Nov 1,1993: The Treaty on the European Union,signed in Maastricht, was put into action. Also, introduction of a common currency, the euro.**
 * Resources:**
 * http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_5/index_en.htm
 * http://www.towson.edu/polsci/ppp/sp97/eu/7DHIST~1.HTM
 * http://europa.eu/abc/12lessons/lesson_1/index_en.htm
 * http://europa.eu/abc/panorama/index_en.htm
 * http://europa.eu/languages/en/home  <span style="font-size: 200%; color: #ce6982; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

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http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_spain.html <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
 * Is your country a member of the European Union?**
 * **<span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Spain is one of the 27 members of the EU. **
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">  **Spain became a member of the EU in 1986 while under the leadership of a socialist party.**
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">  **Spain qualified in 1999 for entry into the European Economic and Monatary Union. (Spain adopted the euro)**
 * What are the pros and cons of joining the European Union for your country?**
 * -<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Pros: **
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 70%; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Spain increased their Gross Domestic Product to 90% of the EU's average.
 * **Spain reduced their public dept.**
 * **Spain reduced their unemployment from 23% in 1986 to 8.4% in 2007.**
 * **Reduced inflation to under 3%.**
 * **Second-most popular tourist site with most tourists being members of the EU.**
 * **Modernization of its industrial base. Funding by the EU has helped improve physical infrastructure in the country.**
 * **The EU represents the values of liberty, democracy, and progress to the Spanish citizens.**
 * **The process of integration into the EU has greatly reduced cultural differences between Spain and other European countries.**
 * -Cons:**
 * **Trouble in extending the euro because economy is different from others.**
 * **High value of the euro makes spanish exports expensive for foreign buyers.**
 * **Ethnic regionalism is still a source of social tension, especially by the separatist group ETA.**
 * **Authoritarian governments prevented Spain's earlier entrance into the EU by supporting isolationalist policies.**
 * **A weakening of national identity.**

<span style="font-size: 130%; color: #eaaf53; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**How does the European Union benefit your country whether it is a member or not?** > > > Resources:
 * **The Eu does benefit Spain by supporting it with "structural funds", which improves infrastructure.**
 * **Thanks to the EU, Spain GDP Per Capita is now at 84%.**
 * **All countries have an agreement to pool resources and aid each other in recovering from natural disasters.**
 * **Spain approved a plan to update their universities by adopting the European Space for Higher Education plan.**
 * **Presidency of the EU is rotated between members every 6 months. Spain's presidency will begin January 2010.**
 * **Help in developing new research and development in technology based business, such as Aeronautics.**
 * **Improved relations with Portugal.**
 * **The attitudes of the Spanish are very positive in favor of the benefits of membership verses the cost.**
 * http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575057/Spain.html
 * http://www.conservapedia.com/Spain
 * http://www6.miami.edu/eucenter/royoworkingpaper.pdf
 * https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html
 * http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/eu_members/spain/index_en.htm
 * http://www.cdti.es/index.asp?idioma=es
 * http://www.la-moncloa.es/IDIOMAS/9/ActualidadHome/30012009_ConsejoMinistros.htm
 * Taras, Ray. __Europe Old and New : Transnationalism, Belonging, Xenophobia__. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, Incorporated, 2008.