Task 8. Write a plan you would use if you were to write an essay on the topic “Ukraine in the European Union: pro et contra”. Prepare a talk on this topic.

José Manuel Barroso: The Lisbon Treaty Leads to Illuminism, To Military Power, Glory and World Governance

 

Excerpt from Barroso´s speech on European Values (on the eve of signing of Lisbon Treaty, 2009)

The European Commission president says about common European values:

Freedom: because each individual is responsible for developing his own potential. But they cannot do this without responsibility. Indeed, without responsibility freedom is an empty concept.

Human rights and all the fundamental freedoms that go hand in hand with the rule of law and democracy are now recognised as indispensable values in our Union;

Tolerance – or to put it more strongly – a robust appreciation of the value of pluralism and diversity in our society. This of course ties it strongly with the Spirit of Assisi. John Paul said: "Saying 'Europe' must be equivalent to saying "openness." Tolerance implies that we cannot accept any form of discrimination between human beings.

Solidarity - Solidarity between human beings who do not exist merely as individuals; they are part of a community. But solidarity also between the member states of our European Union, and with other parts of the world; because no country in the world alone can cope with the global challenges of the 21st century. For a Europe built on values, the moral challenge of global poverty must remain one of our most compelling goals. Our focus must remain on achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

I would add a special concern for the environment, because, in addition to the obligations we have to our fellow human beings, we are also increasingly aware of the obligations we have to our planet and future generations.

But Europe should do more for peace. That is why I hope that the Lisbon Treaty will soon be ratified and signed by all Member States because it will reinforce our capacity to act globally. We have been actively promoting human rights, never hesitating to condemn their violation. But we must better use our potential as a civilian power for peace, by linking security and development to help rescue and rehabilitate failed states. We can and must do more to play our role in conflict resolution and peace-keeping and peacebuilding. Non-proliferation will be a major challenge in the coming years.

We must put human dignity at the heart of our endeavours. This is the kind of Europe I believe in. A Europe that puts people at the heart of its project. A Europe which promotes human development in the fullest possible sense. A Europe which promotes the development of "the whole man and of all men."

Task 1. Some words can have several meanings. Choose the best explanation (a or b) for each of these words or phrases as they are used in the excerpt.

Tolerance

a the permitted variation in some measurement or other characteristic of an object or workpiece;

B capacity to endure something, especially pain or hardship

Value

a an amount, especially a material or monetary one, considered to be a fair exchange in return for a thing;

B the desirability of a thing, often in respect of some property such as usefulness or exchangeability: worth, merit, or importance

3. s olidarity

a the act or state of cohering or tendency to unite;

B unity of interests, sympathies, etc., as among members of the same class

Challenge

a to invite or summon (someone to do something, especially to take part in a contest);

B to make demands on

Capacity

a the amount that can be contained; volume;

B the ability to do or produce

Task 2. Look at sentences (1-10) and rearrange the letters in bold to make words and expressions. The first letter of each word/expression is in the correct place.

1. To realise its full potential, the European Union needs to modernise and romefr.

2. In a constantly changing, ever more interconnected wldro, Europe is grappling with new iuesss: globalisation, demographic shifts, climate change.

3. New possibilities have been ctdreae to deal for example with cross border effects of public health, civil protection and to support cross-border activities in sport.

4. Citizens will have a better iead of who is responsible for what and why the European Union is taking aticno.

5. The innovations give the Union the possibility to better implement its policies aimed at ensuring economic gthrow and competitiveness, improving employment and social conditions.

6. The Treaty of Lisbon also contains a “solidarity clause” indicating that the Union and its Member States shall act jointly in a sitpir of solidarity.

7. The fundamental reasons for the Treaty will equip the EU to better pmotero the interests of its citizens on a day-to-day bsisa.

8. In particular, national parliaments are able to act as “watchdogs” of the piplerinc of subsidiarity.

9. They have the power to have a say at a very early stage, before a proposal is considered in dileta by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

10. It establishes a clearer distribution of powers between the Union and the Member States, which will make it easier for the censitiz to understand “who does what”.

Task 3. Understanding Expressions

Choose the best explanation for each of these words or phrases from the text.

Individual

a) single

b) person

c) private

 

Freedom

a) independence

b) security

c) personal liberty

Compelling

a) challenging

b) convincing

c) significant

 

To reinforce

a) to strengthen

b) to maintain

c) to preserve

 

Dignity

a) importance

b) being worthy of honored

c) a rank

 

To promote

a) to encourage

b) to raise to smth

c) to abolish

 

Responsibility

a) solidarity

b) accountability

c) liability

 

Concept

a) idea

b) phenomenon

c) example

 

A robust appreciation

a) a strong gratitude

b) unshakeable increase in value

c) a favourable mark

 

A global poverty

a) a world lack of smth

b) a wide scarcity

c) an external failure

 

 

Task 4. Express your thoughts upon the following questions:

 

1. What do you know about European values at all?

2. Do the notions “Wide Europe” and “Strong Europe” have the same meaning?

3. What are the challenges of the 21^st century?

4. In your opinion what does human dignity mean?

Task 5. Translate the following sentences from Ukrainian into English:

1) Європейський Союз заснований на цінностях поваги до людської гідності, волі, демократії, рівності, правової держави й дотримання прав людини, включаючи права осіб, що належать до меншин. 2) Цінності Європейського Союзу є загальними для держав-членів у рамках суспільства, що характеризується плюралізмом, недискримінацією, терпимістю, справедливістю, солідарністю й рівністю жінок і чоловіків. 3) Європейський Союз ставить за мету сприяння миру, своїм цінностям і добробуту своїх народів. 4) Європейський Союз надає своїм громадянам простір волі, безпеки й правосуддя без внутрішніх кордонів, у рамках якого забезпечується вільне пересування осіб у взаємозв'язку з відповідними заходами для вирішення питань контролю зовнішніх кордонів, надання притулку, імміграції, а також запобігання злочинності й боротьби із цим явищем. 5) Європейський Союз приєднується до Європейської конвенції про захист прав людини й основних свобод. 6) Європейський Союз розвиває із сусідніми йому країнами привілейовані відносини з метою створення простору процвітання й добросусідства, що засновано на цінностях Союзу й характеризується тісними й мирними відносинами, що базуються на співробітництві. 7) У всій своїй діяльності Європейський Союз дотримує принципу рівності своїх громадян, які користуються однаковою увагою з боку його інститутів, органів і установ. 8) Політичні партії на європейському рівні сприяють формуванню європейської політичної свідомості й вираженню волі громадян Союзу. 9) Європейський Союз намагається розвивати відносини й будувати партнерства із третіми країнами, регіональними й універсальними міжнародними організаціями, які поділяють принципи, зазначені в першому абзаці. 10) Загальна політика безпеки й оборони є складовою частиною загальної зовнішньої політики й політики безпеки.

Glossary:

freedom 1. the quality or state of being free: as a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c: the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous. 2. a: a political or civil right. Synonyms 1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers; integration 1. the act or process or an instance of integrating: as a: a writing that embodies a complete and final agreement between parties b: incorporation as equals into society or an organisation of individuals of different groups (as races); membership 1. the state of being a member, as of a society or club. 2. the status of a member. 3. the total number of members belonging to an organisation, society, etc.; treaty [ˈtriːtɪ], n. 1. the action of treating and esp. of negotiating. 2. an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation: as a: private treaty b: a contract in writing between two or more political authorities (as states or sovereigns) formally signed by representatives duly authorized and usually ratified by the lawmaking authority of the state treaties. 3. a document embodying a negotiated agreement or contract. 4. an agreement or contract (as between companies) providing for treaty reinsurance; conflict1. a struggle or clash between opposing forces; battle 2. a state of opposition between ideas, interests, etc; disagreement or controversy 3. a clash, as between two appointments made for the same time 4. psychol opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible wishes or drives, sometimes leading to a state of emotional tension and thought to be responsible for neuroses. Synonyms: conflict, contest, combat, fight.

Language Focus

Task 1. Word formation. Complete these tables by filling in the correct verb and noun forms of the verbs listed.

verb	noun
settle	settlement
strengthen
succeed
pack
edit
appoint
heat
exist

Task 2. Complete the exerpt below from a case brief using the verbs in the box.

lead to could become isolated remains move

Current Situation: The current rapprochement with the EU affects Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policy. For Ukraine is quite 1) …….. within the international system: while it is a member of the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and WTO, it 2)…….. outside the major economic and security blocs of the North. So every new step that can 3)…….. Ukraine closer to the EU is beneficial; it would 4) …….. an informal “securitization” and a gradual de facto – if not yet de jure – anchoring of Ukraine within the emerging trans-European political system.

Future: In the medium term, EU support for Ukrainian democracy, civil society and rule of law would also have a geopolitical dimension: Ukraine 5) …… even one day 6) …….. the EU’s Trojan horse.

 

Task 3. Imagine you have been invited to visit the European Court of Justice of the European Union. Think of your questions you are going to ask in order to clarify your knowledge using the following linking words / phrases:

To make general statements: as a rule, generally, in general, in most cases.

To introduce examples: for example, for instance, such, like, in particular, especially, this is clearly shown by the fact that…

To make partially correct statements: to a certain extent / degree, there is some truth in this…

To express effect: therefore, thus, as a result / consequence, consequently, so, for this reason…

APPENDIX 1

TREATY OF LISBON