European Union are organised Spain and its territorial organisation The map below shows the different territories of Spain. These territories can then be divided into autonomous communities. These are large territories that are one or several provinces put together. These communities share a common geography and language. Autonomous communities have their own capital cities, regional government council, and are ruled by their own set of laws, called the Statute of Autonomy. Autonomous communities, provinces and municipalities Autonomous communities are made up of many provinces. Some autonomous communities, such as Asturias, only have one province. Others, such as Andalucia, have more than one province. Each province has its own regional government council and president. There are fifty provinces in Spain, plus the two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla. Spain’s provinces are divided intosmallerterritories called municipalities. Municipalities are the smallest divisions of territory, and are governed by city or town halls. Spain has 8117 municipalities, plus Ceuta and Melilla! “1 Which province and municipality do you live in? Were you born there? How Spain and the= The Spanish Government az The Constitution The current Spanish Constitution was passed on the 6" of December, 1978. It declares Spain a sovereign and democratic nation. It states ~ that the political system in Spain is a constitutional monarchy. There is » @ royal family, but the Spanish citizens have the real power: the power to vote and elect their leaders in the government. The Constitution states that there must be a Head of State, a central government, a justice system and a parliament called the General Courts. The Head of State The Head of State in Spain is the king, Philip VI. He represents Spain in other countries, approves laws and is the highest authority in the military. The Central Government The Government is the institution in charge of running the state. Its mission is to:make sure that the laws are followed, and to defend the state and manage public affairs such as education, health, relations with other countries, etc. See eee 5 The Government consists of the president and several ministers. The president is elected by the House of Representatives and appointed by the king. The president is responsible for directing and coordinating the Government. Ministers are nominated by the president and appointed by the king. The ministers work with the president in various areas such as culture and economics. The General Courts The General Courts are responsible for developing and passing laws and monitoring the government. The General Courts consists of two houses: the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. The Congress of Deputies has 350 congressmen and the Senate has 265 senators. The representatives in each house are voted in every four years by citizens that are over eighteen years of age. wi 1 Complete these sentences with a partner. 1. The king of Spain is the. 2. The Central Government consists of... . 3 The General Courts consists of two houses: ... and 4 The representatives in both houses are elected by.. a2 SPO nstiUtion tie> © The Courts of Law The Courts of Law are responsible for enforcing laws and judges may punish people for breaking the law. The courts consist of judges and independent judges. There are two main courts of law in Spain, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. State powers Legislative Executive [ Judicial under the control of under the control of under the control of Parliament [ Government Court of Law mull up of made up of senate |[Eoress °] Ministrs|[ resident_| Cc T T T elected by pet yf pee eee Constitutional Citizens King cour Supreme P2dListen carefully as five people describe |__ Court m4 how they are involved in the Spanish Government, Then match each person to [ Ordinary his or her position. Court 1 Rosa a) President 2 Juan = b) Government minister 3. Manuel ©) Supreme Court judge 4 Ana d) Head of State 5. Sofia ©) Senator 3 Work with a partner to write a description of the Spanish Constitution (in your own words!). When was it passed? What does it do? Why is it important?Municipal ca seulononsalts ecummanente _ The town or city hall The town (or city) hall is the building where municipal meetings are held. It has usually got a large hall for conducting public meetings. The Mayor or Mayoress and city councillors are called the city council, City councillors are elected by the people in elections and the councillors then elect the Mayor or Mayoress. The city council is responsible for organising municipal services, such as the collection of rubbish, the maintenance of local parks and gardens and police services. The Mayor or Mayoress is the head of the city council; he or she is __ responsible for making sure that the municipality runs well. The city council holds meetings on a regular basis. These meetings are called municipal plenary sessions and people can go to the meetings to ask questions and listen to debates. 2 city council town hall Mayor/Mayoress municipal services [f municipal plenary session ORwWnNs Work with a partner. Imagine you are going to a municipal plenary session in your town. Write down five questions you want to ask. neal } i | |pean eR TSE TNS SRR TET ERTS. As © © How an autonomous community government works Besides the Constitution, the Statute of Autonomy isthe most important legislative document in an autonomous community. The Statute of Autonomy establishes the community's right to self-government, and also states: © the autonomous community's name. © its capital city and territory. © the community's symbols (such as the seal, flag, anthem * the rights and responsibilities of citizens. In most democratic governments, there are three branches of government. These are the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. In an autonomous community: © The Parliament is part of the legislative branch, which makes the autonomous community's laws and represents the citizens. Parliament also creates and follows the budget for the community and decides how much money can be spent by the state for different services. ° The Government Council represents the executive branch, which helps to execute the laws and carries out other matters of state. The President of the community is the leader of the Government Council and works with Ministers in the different departments: the Ministry of Education, Transport, Healthcare and Environment, for example. © The High Court of Justice is the highest authority in the community's judicial branch, which is responsible for making sure that citizens obey the laws of the Constitution. The High Court of Justice's decisions may only be challenged by the national Supreme Court or the Constitutional Court. 3 What does the Statute of Autonomy establish and state? 4 Match the information inthe boxes and write full sentences in your notebook. ~. “> High Court of Justice legislative carries out the laws, different Ministries Government Council judicial writes the laws, creates national budget Parliament executive makes sure that citizens obey lawsBERR REE RR Ree eee = The autonomous community of Andalucia Our autonomous community Andalucia is one of the seventeen autonomous communities that together with two autonomous cities form Spain. Andalucia is in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. It has boundaries with Portugal to the west, the communities of Extremadura and Castilla- La Mancha to the north, the region of Murcia to the east and the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar to the south. It became an autonomous community in 1981. The autonomous community of Andalucia contains eight provinces: Almeria, Cadiz, Cérdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Malaga and Sevilla. Each province has a provincial capital. It is the most important city in the province and the province takes its name from it. Also, the city of Sevilla is the capital of the entire autonomous community of Andalucia. The headquarters of the government of Andalucia is found here. CASTILLA-LA MANCHA AL EXTREMADURA PORTUG. CORDOBA coribosa HUELVA HUELVA GRANADA | chow. ATLANTIC OCEAN Where is the autonomous community of Andalucia? What other communities does it share boundaries with? How many provinces are there in the autonomous community of Andalucia? Name them in alphabetical order.2 Are the sentences True or False? Correct the false ones » The European Union "The European Union (EU) is an economic and political association of _ 28 European countries that are working together to build a better future for their citizens. Spain joined the European Union in 1986. = Aims of the European Union i "The EU has a number of aims or objectives: | "© To make sure that Europe is an area of freedom, security and justice : _ in which citizens support and help each other. To achieve this, all citizens must obey a set of laws common to all EU countries. | * To promote economic progress in member countries. * To represent Europe internationally. Advantages of belonging to the European Union As citizens of a country that belongs to the European Union, we enjoy - lots of advantages: We are allowed to travel with a national ID card or passport, live and | work in any member country of the European Union. | | ® We have access to healthcare in other EU countries through the j European Health Insurance Card. There is a common market, which means that people and goods can travel freely throughout the European Union. When the euro area was created, the euro was established as the single official currency of the EU. /1) Which of the following is not an aim of the European Union? a) To make sure there is security, freedom and justice in Europe. b) To make sure that the prices of goods are as low as possible. c) To represent Europe internationally. d) To promote economic growth. European Union is ‘United in ii ur ni a in your notebook. 2000 following a competition 3 between pupils 1 The EU has two objectives. 2 People and goods can travel freely between EU countries, thanks to the current market. 3 The pound and the euro are the two official EU currencies. 5 4 Citizens only have to obey the laws of their country, not EU laws.EU institutions The European Union is governed by a group of institutions that work together to achieve common goals. The main EU institutions are the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. The European Parliament The European Parliament is made up of representatives from all the EU member countries. The Parliament is responsible for making EU laws and approving the budget. The Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often simply called ‘the Council’, is a very important decision-making body of the EU. Made up of government ministers from the different member countries of the EU, the Council shares the responsibility for passing EU laws and adopting the budget with the European Parliament, coordinates economic policies and develops the EU's foreign, defence and security policies. The European Commission The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU government. It is made up of Commissioners, and a Commission President. The Commission proposes new legislation to the Parliament and the Council, enforces laws and treaties and manages the EU's budget. The Court of Justice The Court of Justice of the European Union makes sure that EU laws are applied throughout the Union. It is composed of one judge per country, in addition to Advocate General, who are appointed by the governments of EU countries. The Court of Auditors The European Court of Auditors is responsible for checking to make sure that EU funds are being used correctly. | Are the sentences True or False? Correct the false ones in your notebook. 1 The Council of the European Union does not make many decisions. 2 The European Commission is the judicial branch of the EU government. 3. The Court of Justice makes sure that EU laws are applied throughout ‘the Union. iii Sa f “ yg 8 Ei Step 1 a) a a i ] Step 2 Step 3 44 ~ Appt i ppyour skills Project A new European Union member! In small groups, create a new country in Europe. Make a fact sheet about your country, including the following information: a) Your country’s name. b) Your country’s population. c) What type of government your country has. (Choose carefully, this is very important!) d) Who your country’s leader is. ©) What the laws are in your country. Make a list of ten. Answer the questions: 1 Does your country have equal rights and privileges for all people, or do some people receive special treatment? 2 Are people from different countries welcome in your country? es 3 Why does your country want to become a Pf senans member of the EU? Try to be as specific as you /” hana cacti es can. a country and its people. Spain's motto is ‘plus ultra’, Now include these things. which is Latin for ‘further beyond’. in Spanish, it means 1 Create amottothat represents your country well," i 2 A drawing of your country’s flag. You can Neo use any symbols that are appropriate to your = country’s laws and people. 3. A drawing of a citizen wearing your country’s typical clothing. 4 An anthem or song for your country. It can Re represent your country’s ideas or views. When you have created your country’s fact sheet, present your country to the class.m Check what you know! & Work in your noreoo® wi @ How are the territories in Spain organised? @ How many provinces are there in Spain? z © What are the two houses of Spanish Parliament called? Ei © @) How many years can a Spanish senator stay in office? b) How many years can a Congress deputy serve? TE © Ave the sentences True or False? Correct the false ones in your notebook. Ei 1 The presidential palace is where municipal meetings are held. 2 The Mayor is the head of the city council; he/she is Bi responsible for making sure that the municipality and its services function well. 3. The city council often holds meetings, which are El called municipal plenary sessions. 4 Town citizens can go to municipal plenary sessions, ask questions and listen to debates. i 5 Some autonomous communities haven't got a Statute of Autonomy. & The Statute of Autonomy establishes the i community's right to self-government. ] @ List two advantages of being a citizen of the European Union, @ Choose the correct answer in your notebook. ] One of the aims of the European Union is to make sure that Europe is an area of... a) ... freedom, security and justice. reedom, love and wealth. war, security and justice. intelligence, beauty and justice. My Word list autonomous communities budget central government citizens city council city hall (town hall) Congress of Deputies Constitutional Court constitutional monarchy councillors Courts of Law currency democratic European Union executive branch General Courts Government Council Head of State High Court of Justice judicial branch justice system legislative branch municipalities municipal plenary sessions Parliament provinces sovereign Senate Spanish Constitution Statute of Autonomy Supreme Court territories 45Work in your ~y Qo Complete the paragraph with the words in the box. LE TS ~The population ofa place is the number of 1... who inhabit a country, state, city or territory. 2... is the study of human populations; this includes the size, structure and distribution of population, as well y as the changes in 3... over time. To measure population and demography, governments use two different types of 4...; an electoral roll and a census. mi @ In your own words, explain the difference between a census and the civil registry. ~— @ How does emigration affect population? @© complete the sentence with one of the options. a 1 In the last census, Spain had a ... growth because the ... rate was higher than the ... rate. a) real, mortality, birth b) real, birth, mortality eS ¢) natural, emigration, immigration d) natural, birth, mortality 2 Unemployed people are considered part of the ... population. | a) active b) inactive ¢) working d)_ emigration © What percentage does Spain’s population represent in the EU? i @© inyour own words, explain how territories, autonomous communities and provinces are different from each other. Give an example of each. | @ complete the sentence with one of the options. The President is ... by the House of Representatives and ... by the I King. a) elected, appointed b) nominated, appointed ) voted, elected d) elected, nominated6 Choose the correct options to complete the paragraph. The current Spanish Constitution was passed on the 6" of December, 1 1978/1988. It declares Spain a 2 national / sovereign and democratic nation. It states that the political system in Spain is a 3 monarchy / constitutional monarchy; there is a royal family, but the Spanish citizens have the real power: the power to vote and 4 promote / elect their leaders in the government. The constitution states that there must be a Head of State, a central government, a 5 justice system / social system and a senate and a parliament called the General Courts. © Arethe sentences Trueor False? Correct the false onesin your notebook. 1 The European Parliament debates and passes Spanish laws. 2 The European Commission proposes new laws, enforces EU laws and makes sure that EU countries follow the laws. 3. The European Council meets once per month with EU leaders. ©® Which is not one of the advantages of being in the European Union. 2) Right to vote atage 18 ——_-b) Same currency ©) Free education d) European Health Insurance Card @ Copy and complete the paragraph with the words in the box. Auditors Parliament countries Commission The European Union is governed by a group of 1... that work together to achieve common goals. The main EU institutions are the European 2..., the Council of the European Union, the European 3..., the Court of Justice and the Court of 4... . ® Copy and complete the following sentences in your own words. 1 The European Parliament is responsible for... 2 Two countries that are part of the EU, but not the Eurozone are... 3 One of the aims of the European Union is to... ® Choose which organisation (European Commission, European Council, or European Parliament) matches the following sentences. 1 This institution debates and passes new laws. 2. This institution proposes new laws. 3. This institution enforces the EU laws, manages the budget, and represents the EU internationally. 47