Risks and challenges of the EU expansion
周大勇 (Zhou,Dayong)

I. Introduction
For several years now the European Union is discussing a possible enlargement, because several European countries have applied for membership in the EU. These are especially the former socialist countries in Eastern Europe, that have clearly turned towards the west since the collapse of the iron curtain. These countries are Bulgaria, the Baltic countries Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

In addition Turkey, Cyprus and Malta are trying for quite some time already to join the EU. These application are not to be accepted without any further deliberation because they do bring along some risks and the consequences are hard to distinguish therefore these countries are not very expected joining the European Union in the near future and will therefore not be included in the following evaluation.
II. Risks and challenges
If we wants to evaluate the risks and challenges of an upcoming enlargement of the EU, we should first take into account experiences gained during previous expansion which were to some extent comparable. Here the southern expansion from 1986 should be mentioned where two economically pathetic countries sought admission to the then European Community. The admission procedure of these two candidates, being Spain and Portugal, were lengthy and considered very problem bearing. Especially the amount of produce that would add to the already existing agricultural over-production of the Community was seen to be a problem since it would increase the load on the European budget.

But seen from a global economical perspective the joining of Spain and Portugal was overall positive for the EC and the two countries, although Spain struggled with a further rise of unemployment and disparities within the Community were further amplified.

The disparities within the Union will most certainly increase when it comes to an eastern expansion, but the agricultural problem will not be an issue, because the candidates have not got their focus on agriculture, already because of their communist heritage which focused on industry rather than on agriculture or the tertiary sector.

In case of the approaching expansion towards Eastern Europe the Union will have to resolve several problems, the most severe being without any doubt the financial one that will go along with the extension, estimated to be ?5 - ?6 billion annually, just for the technologically underdeveloped agriculture in the new member states.

The financial problem will also lead to a temporary discontent among the population of the existing members, since the financial load on the countries will cause budget cuts because the new members will undoubtedly belong to the payees rather than the payers. Especially the Mediterranean members, for instance Italy, Spain etc. fear cuts in their subsidies particularly the agricultural ones, and agriculture is already making up the biggest part of the EU′s budget.

Of course it is also to be questioned whether with the joining of economically weak countries the economies of the "richer" members are not weakened.

What should be taken into consideration as well is the impact the joining will have on the population of the candidates, especially considering the rights they will gain when they are citizens of the European community. They do then have the right to settle and work anywhere within the community, this could lead to a large amount of people pouring into the old member countries trying to seek work there and make their living. And since most of the European countries are already struggling with high unemployment the high rates could be pushed up further and the discontent among the population could worsen, especially against the background of Neo-Nazis in Germany and other countries such as Britain or Italy. Off course this would only be a temporary problem, which would solve itself over time as the new members develop economically, but still this could prove to be a major issue.

Of course their comes also a minor problem along with the expansion, this problem being even more languages than the twelve, already being used, in which EU communications would have to be carried out adding to the already huge administrative body of the European Union and also causing further costs of the EU.
But because the expansion represents a political necessity one should also take into account the positive aspects caused by such a historic event. With the expansion the continent would take a huge step towards the ethnic integration within Europe, different cultures would be facing each other and could also profit from each other. Also the global competitiveness of the EU against the USA and Asia would improve and another step towards global peace would be undertaken.
III. Changes in administration
It is obvious that an expansion potentially including ten countries would not be feasible without fundamental institutional reforms.

For instance with the existing structure of the Union which allocates most of the power to the European Council, where each member state has one vote, it would be imaginable that smaller members would have a majority over the larger members. Except for Poland, which is by population comparable to Spain and would consequently be a large member, all other candidates are relatively small in size an population.

Another point is that with more than twenty members the decision finding and making process needs to be completely reconsidered, so it represents the actual size of the member countries in terms of population rather than giving each member a veto and especially one single vote. The existing voting and weighting system is also already making the decision finding process a painfully and lengthy one, another ten different opinions added to this would make it virtually impossible to come to an agreement that at least partially satisfies all members and is therefore being supported and not vetoed against.

A changed "legislature" would also keep the democratic thought that the entire EU is based on alive and not vanish it like the existing system.

What should also be pointed out is the fact that an increase in members could lead to new coalitions within the Union and also increase competition among the individual countries. There are even critics that fear that an eastern expansion could lead to a shift in power towards the reunified Germany, since the potential new members are already heavily bound and leaning towards Germany.

What should also be considered is a change in European agricultural policy, which should actually be reformed already. The system of milk quotas, subsidies etc. which subsidises an over-production in many areas, just not to infuriate the farmers, because smaller farms would not be able to survive without the subsidies and the entire face of the European primary sector would change is completely outdated. This system could definitely no longer be kept up with even more farmers to support.
IV. Successful without absorbing the new members?
It is obvious that this question needs to be answered with a clear no. The existing members of the EU are already being absorbed by it and they have all chosen this faith. The goals of the European Union do state the loss of sovereignty in the areas of economic and currency politics, the latter one already realized, also in the political areas of social politics, education, research, consumer protection, health and also environmental issues. Now one could argue how many of these goals need to be realized in order for the EU to be successful, from the British point of view for example the cooperation in economic issues and the creation of the single market have already been enough, considering their opinion towards the Maastricht treaty.

If one would see it from the British point of view the EU could be successful without absorbing the new members, but since most other countries would like to see the above mentioned goals implied and would like to realize the dream of de Gaulle, Adenauer and others of "the United States of Europe", the new members would surrender a huge part of their sovereignty and consequently would be absorbed by the EU, especially considering that they will join in a couple of years at the earliest when European integration will hopefully have advanced beyond the point it is today.
Another point one could consider is what would happen if the European integration would further advance up to the point of the United States of Europe without any new countries joining. This would create another superpower alongside the USA and the then non-members would live in the shadow of the EU or whatever its name would be by that time and also be absorbed by the enormous power, in any terms, of their big neighbour just like the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico, even the entire Americas are by the USA. So the conclusion drawn by this could be that the central and eastern European countries would be better off in any case if they joined the EU even if they had to surrender much of their sovereignty.
Sources:

(1) http://www.europa.eu.int/ (March 17th, 2001)
(2) http://idw.tu-clausthal.de/public/zeige_pm.html?pmid=26445 (April 5th, 2001)
(3) Informationen zur politischen Bildung: Europäische Union (BpB, 1995)
(4) Microsoft Encarta 98
(5) Mittel- und Osteuropa auf dem Weg in die Europäische Union (Werner Weidenfeld, Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung, 1996)
(6) http://www.e-politik.de/beitrag.cfm?Beitrag_ID=559 (April 1st, 2001)

宁夏回族自治区人民政府


宁夏回族自治区行政许可监督办法

（宁夏回族自治区人民政府令第84号　2005年7月8日）


第一章 总则
第一条 为了加强对行政机关实施行政许可的监督，防止和纠正违法或者不当的行政许可行为，严格依法行政，保护公民、法人和其他组织的合法权益，根据《中华人民共和国行政许可法》（以下简称《行政许可法》）和《宁夏回族自治区行政执法监督条例》以及有关法律、法规的规定，结合本自治区实际，制定本办法。
第二条 在本自治区行政区域内，对行政机关实施行政许可进行监督的活动，适用于本办法。法律、法规另有规定的，从其规定。
法律、法规授权的具有管理公共事务职能的组织适用本办法有关行政机关的规定。
第三条 行政许可监督，应当遵循合法、客观、公正、高效以及内部监督与外部监督、主动监督与受理投诉、纠正与教育相结合的原则。
第四条 县级以上人民政府及其工作部门应当建立健全对行政机关实施行政许可的监督制度，加强对行政机关实施行政许可的监督检查。
上级行政机关负责对下级行政机关实施行政许可进行监督。
县级以上人民政府及其工作部门的法制机构（以下简称法制机构）在本级人民政府或者本部门的领导下，具体负责组织实施对本行政区域内或者本部门、本系统内行政机关实施行政许可进行监督。
监察、审计、财政等部门应当在其法定职责范围内，依法对行政机关实施行政许可进行专项监督。
第五条 行政机关实施行政许可，应当接受同级人民代表大会及其常委会的监督、人民政协的民主监督、司法机关的司法监督以及社会舆论的监督。
第二章 监督内容
第六条 行政许可监督包括下列主要内容：
（一）行政许可事项是否有法定依据；
（二）行政许可的实施主体及其工作人员是否具备法定资格；
（三）行政许可的实施程序及收费是否合法；
（四）行政许可的实施机关依法履行监督检查职责的情况；
（五）建立健全实施行政许可工作制度的情况；
（六）依法应当监督的其他内容。
第七条 本自治区行政区域内行政机关实施的行政许可事项必须是法律、行政法规或国务院决定、自治区人民代表大会及其常委会制定或批准公布的地方性法规以及自治区人民政府规章设定的行政许可事项。
第八条 除自治区人民政府规章依法可以设定临时性的行政许可外，自治区各级行政机关制定的其他规范性文件一律不得设定行政许可。
第九条 各级人民政府及其工作部门制定的规范性文件，必须符合法律、法规和国家的方针、政策及自治区人民政府的规章、决定、命令，并经本级人民政府或者本部门的法制机构依法进行合法性审查和适当性审查；发布的规范性文件应当依法备案。
第十条 行政许可实施主体及其工作人员实行资格认证制度。
行政机关实施行政许可的主体资格，应当经本级人民政府法制机构审查、本级人民政府认定后，在当地主要媒体上予以公告。未经公告的行政机关，一律不得实施行政许可。
从事行政许可的工作人员必须依法取得《宁夏回族自治区行政执法证》或者其他合法行政执法证件后，方可从事行政许可实施工作。
第十一条 行政机关实施行政许可，应当遵守法定的权限、范围、条件和程序，减少环节、简化程序、提高效率。
第十二条 行政机关依照法律、法规、规章的规定，委托其他行政机关实施行政许可的，应当与受委托的行政机关签订《实施行政许可委托书》。
《实施行政许可委托书》应当载明委托机关和受委托机关的名称、地址、联系方式、委托实施行政许可的具体内容、委托期限以及法律责任等。
委托行政机关应当将《实施行政许可委托书》报本级人民政府法制机构备案。
第十三条 实施行政许可的行政机关应当在本机关办公场所以公告、说明书、办事指南手册、电子公告栏等形式公示以下资料：
（一）实施行政许可的法定依据；
（二）实施行政许可的事项、条件、数量、程序、期限；
（三）申请行政许可需要提交的全部材料目录和申请书示范文本；
（四）行政许可监督电话；
（五）依法需要公示的其他资料。
县级以上人民政府设立集中行政许可场所的，应将本级人民政府有关行政机关实施的所有行政许可事项及所需要提交的材料目录和申请书范本在该场所公示。行政机关和集中行政许可场所已建立公众信息网站的，应将有关信息同时在其网站上公示。
第十四条 行政机关应当以本机关的名义受理行政许可事项。
县级以上人民政府设立集中行政许可场所的，行政机关应当在该场所设立服务窗口，以本机关名义统一受理行政许可申请、送达行政许可决定。因特殊情况，不能进入该场所的，经本级人民政府同意后，应当确定本机关的一个内设机构或者在本机关设立服务窗口，以本机关名义统一受理行政许可申请、送达行政许可决定。
依法由两个以上部门分别实施行政许可的，本级人民政府可以确定一个部门受理行政许可申请并转告有关部门分别提出意见后统一办理，或者组织有关部门联合办理、集中办理；设立集中行政许可场所的，由该场所的有关行政机关联合办理、集中办理。
第十五条 行政机关受理行政许可申请后，应当依法进行审查，在法定期限内，按照规定的程序作出准予或者不予行政许可的书面决定；作出不予行政许可决定的，应向申请人说明理由，并告知申请人享有依法申请行政复议或者提起行政诉讼的权利。
第十六条 行政机关应当自作出准予行政许可决定后的１０个工作日内，将行政许可决定在电子触摸屏、公告栏等载体上予以公示，但涉及国家秘密、商业秘密或者个人隐私的除外。
第十七条 行政机关依法对被许可人的生产经营场所进行监督检查时，执法人员不得少于２人，并应当向被许可人出示行政执法证件。
法律、行政法规未规定年审、年检或者其他定期检验方式的，行政机关不得对已作出的行政许可进行年审、年检或者其他定期检验。
第三章 监督程序
第十八条 实施行政许可的行政机关应当建立健全下列内部监督制度：
（一）受理行政许可举报、投诉制度。对公民、法人和其他组织举报、投诉的行政许可事项依法受理并作出处理。
（二）现场监督制度。对实施行政许可的听证、招标、拍卖、检查、检测、检疫、公民特定资格的考试等活动进行现场监督。
（三）档案管理制度。对行政许可实施过程中形成的有关记录、材料、行政许可文书等立卷归档，规范管理。
（四）重大行政许可事项备案制度。对重大行政许可决定报送上级行政机关备案。
（五）法律、法规、规章规定的其他监督内容。
第十九条 上级行政机关可以通过下列方式对下级行政机关实施行政许可的行为进行监督：
（一）受理公民、法人和其他组织的举报、投诉；
（二）开展有关行政许可实施情况的执法检查；
（三）审查行政许可实施主体及其工作人员资格；
（四）派驻行政许可监督工作人员，对行政机关实施有关行政许可活动进行监督；
（五）审查报送备案的重大行政许可决定；
（六）查阅有关行政许可案卷材料，调查行政许可实施情况；
（七）法律、法规、规章规定的其他监督方式。
第二十条 法制机构应当加强对行政机关实施行政许可的监督，及时纠正违法或者不当的行政许可行为。
行政机关及其工作人员不得干扰、拒绝和阻挠法制机构开展行政许可监督工作。
第二十一条 上级行政机关以及法制机构纠正违法或者不当的行政许可行为，应当制作《行政执法监督通知书》，通知实施行政许可的行政机关限期自行纠正；行政机关不纠正或者不按期纠正的，上级行政机关以及法制机构可以报请本级人民政府或者本部门作出撤销、变更或者责令重新作出行政许可决定，并制作《行政执法监督决定书》。
行政机关收到《行政执法监督决定书》后，必须立即执行，并将执行情况在３０个工作日内向作出行政执法监督决定的机关或者法制机构报告。
第二十二条 公民、法人和其他组织发现行政机关违法实施行政许可的，有权向上一级行政机关或者法制机构举报、投诉。
上一级行政机关或者法制机构收到公民、法人和其他组织对行政机关违法实施行政许可行为的举报、投诉后，应当对举报、投诉的情况进行调查、处理，并在法定期限内予以答复；没有法定期限的，应当在７个工作日内予以答复。
监察机关对行政机关违法实施行政许可行为的举报、投诉，按照有关法律、法规的规定办理。
第二十三条 县级以上人民政府法制机构应当定期组织对本行政区域内行政许可的实施情况及实施的必要性进行评价，听取行政机关、公民、法人或者其他组织的意见，提出评价建议或者意见，并将评价建议或者意见报送自治区人民政府法制机构。
自治区人民政府法制机构应对评价建议或者意见进行汇总、研究，对经评价认为需要变更或者取消行政许可事项的，应按程序向法律、法规、规章制定机关或者自治区人民政府提出报告。
第二十四条 县级以上人民政府法制机构应当根据有关法律、法规和规章的规定，对本行政区域内的行政机关实施的行政许可事项进行清理，将清理结果报本级人民政府审定，并予以公布。
第四章 罚则
第二十五条 违反本办法，《行政许可法》和其他相关法律、法规、规章有法律责任规定的，依照其规定执行。
第二十六条 行政机关及其工作人员违反本办法规定，拒不纠正行政许可实施中的违法或不当行为的，由有关机关按照管理权限对直接负责的主管人员和其他直接责任人员依法给予行政处分。
第二十七条 行政机关及其工作人员干扰、拒绝和阻挠法制机构开展行政许可监督工作的，由法制机构视情节轻重，报请本级人民政府或者本部门批准，责令限期改正，给予警告或者暂扣有关责任人员的行政执法证；情节严重的，由发证机关注销有关责任人的行政执法证件，并依法给予行政处分；构成犯罪的，依法追究刑事责任。
第二十八条 行政机关违反本办法规定，指派未取得行政执法证件的人员从事行政许可实施工作的，由法制机构责令改正，建议将该人员调离原工作岗位；拒不改正的，由有关机关按照管理权限对直接负责的主管人员和其他直接责任人员依法给予行政处分。
第二十九条 从事行政许可监督的工作人员在监督工作中玩忽职守、滥用职权、徇私舞弊，由有关机关按照管理权限依法给予行政处分。
第五章 附则