Resources
Human resources :
The European Union represents the world’s largest trading power. Standing just after the United States, the European Union is ranked second largest exporter of services. The service industry is one of the EU's major resource generating around 640 billion euro every year and representing 25% of the world’s services exportations. The leading European countries in this domain are the United Kingdom (6,9%), Germany (5,9%) and France (4,8%).
The European Union represents the world’s largest trading power. Standing just after the United States, the European Union is ranked second largest exporter of services. The service industry is one of the EU's major resource generating around 640 billion euro every year and representing 25% of the world’s services exportations. The leading European countries in this domain are the United Kingdom (6,9%), Germany (5,9%) and France (4,8%).
Cultural heritage :
Cultural heritage can be considered as a form of resource because it can directly be linked to the industry of tourism. As a matter of fact, the European Union represents the world’s most chosen touristic destinations with 504 million visitors accounted in 2011. How is that so? Well first, it is important take consider the ancient history lying under the European grounds as a major factor ensuring the EU attractiveness. Ruins, museums, monuments, all attracting flows of tourists every year. The world’s most visited museum is Paris’ Louvre. It is a center of cultural heritages where ancient civilizations are found through their vestiges, all collected and reunited in this same place. The runner-ups are two of the United Kingdom’s most touristic features: London’s British Museum and National Gallery. Furthermore such cultural heritages can also make the European Union a vector of influence.
Moreover, there also are numerous policies involved in the management of tourism. As said before, the European Union is famous for its disponibility of services. For instance, the circulation of people or goods is made easy in-between the countries and, also, looking at an environmental scale, there are measures taken to face the climatic changes and environmental degradation , all to promote the industry of tourism.
Cultural heritage can be considered as a form of resource because it can directly be linked to the industry of tourism. As a matter of fact, the European Union represents the world’s most chosen touristic destinations with 504 million visitors accounted in 2011. How is that so? Well first, it is important take consider the ancient history lying under the European grounds as a major factor ensuring the EU attractiveness. Ruins, museums, monuments, all attracting flows of tourists every year. The world’s most visited museum is Paris’ Louvre. It is a center of cultural heritages where ancient civilizations are found through their vestiges, all collected and reunited in this same place. The runner-ups are two of the United Kingdom’s most touristic features: London’s British Museum and National Gallery. Furthermore such cultural heritages can also make the European Union a vector of influence.
Moreover, there also are numerous policies involved in the management of tourism. As said before, the European Union is famous for its disponibility of services. For instance, the circulation of people or goods is made easy in-between the countries and, also, looking at an environmental scale, there are measures taken to face the climatic changes and environmental degradation , all to promote the industry of tourism.
Natural Resources :
By Samantha Poncabare
- Agricultural resources: The European Union grounds are well suited for cultivation. Crops such as cereals (wheat,oat,rye) and potatoes are grown and exported towards other countries. The soils are rich and uncultivated lands such as plains can either be used for breeding or as a touristic features because of their attracting aspects.
- § Minerals, gas and oil : Some regions of the EU are gifted with gases and sources of petroleum such as areas of the North Sea. China, the United States, South Africa, Brazil and Australia are all countries dependent of these natural resources. In fact, it marks an important trading reliationship with the European Union.
- § Forests represent a fourth of the European lands. A large diversity of forest types are found within the EU grounds. For example, northern forests, temperate, Mediterranean and tropical are all part of the large European range of forests. Their use can vary from the creation of furniture and paper to their usage in scientific projects.
- § Fishing: One of the world’s best fishing grounds is located within the European Union territories. A 100km off the east coast of England, Dogger Bank stands as a large fishing area of the North Sea. Also, due to European agreements, other extremely productive areas are made accessible to countries members of the UE (the Great Fisher banks in Iceland and Norway’s fishing grounds).
By Samantha Poncabare
Hard Power:
The military of the European Union comprises the several national armed forces of the Union's 28 member states, as the policy area of defense has remained primarily the domain of nation states. European integration has however been deepened in this field in recent years, with the framing of a Common Security and Defence Policy(CSDP) branch for the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) as well as the creation of separate international forces revolving around the EU's defense. However, the principal military alliance in Europe remains NATO, which includes 21 of all EU member states as well as other non-EU European countries, Turkey, the United States and Canada.
While the European Union's combined active military forces in 2009 totaled 1,668,537 personnel, the United Kingdom and France represent the EU's two most dominant global military powers and are the only nuclear powers in the EU. Together, the United Kingdom and France account for 40% of Europe's defense budget, 50% of its military capacity and 70% of all spending in military research and development. The 2010 Anglo French defence treaty will "pool resources" of these two nations' armed forces to maintain their status as major "global defense powers". France and the United Kingdom will also work jointly with nuclear weapons, "testing will be carried out in France and the technology will be developed in the UK."
Research and development:
Furthermore, there is a main aim of policy in the field of research and technological development that is to establish the European Union as a leading knowledge-based economy. In fact, research and Innovation has been placed at the heart of the EU's strategy to create economic growth and jobs for 2020. EU countries are encouraged to invest 3% of their GDP in R&D by 2020 (1% public funding, 2% private-sector investment) - this is expected to create 3.7 million jobs and increase the EU's annual GDP by nearly €800 billion.
Here are a number of the EU’s research programs which give financial support to research and innovation projects:
- The Seventh Framework Program for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration known as FP7 is the EU’s primary instrument. The FP7 is the world’s largest research program and has a total budget of EUR 53.3 billion over the period 2007-2013.
- The EU also has a program that aims to strengthen competitiveness and innovation in the EU. (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program - CIP). The CIP program has a budget of EUR 3.6 billion in the period 2007-2013.
- Finally, the EU finances the European Institute of Innovation and Technology with a budget of EUR 300 million.
By Capucine Tong