| that's a pretty long list that touches on nearly every level of governance This isn't even close to true. It doesn't cover: - National security - Healthcare policy and resourcing - Welfare and pensions policy - Education policy ...which, not coincidentally, are the highest budgeted functions of the UK government[1]. I should also include criminal justice and fiscal policy (seeing as the UK is non-Eurozone), and that the UK has competence over non-eu migration and asylum; this is politically important but not a large budget item on its own. There are cooperation and collaboration elements of the above (particularly in the area of common defence), but that's not to say that the policies are EU competencies. For example, freedom-of-movement rules require that pensions must be paid by the country in which they were insured, even if the individual is paid that pension in a different country. However, one country might have a pensionable age of 60 where another is 67. [1] http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/government_expenditure.htm... |
The EU does not maintain operational competence over these areas, just as the Canadian federal government and the US federal government do not maintain competence over most areas either.
But just as in USA/Canada - the EU laws reign supreme, they create regulations, they coordinate policy.
So - not only are EU laws and court rulings override national laws and rulings - the EU does in fact regulate and manage those 'very large budgetary' elements, just as in other federal states, like the US and Canada.
The EU interdicts on Healthcare:
https://europa.eu/european-union/topics/health_en
The EU interdicts on Social Welfare:
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=750
The EU interdicts on education:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/school_en
The EU has made several rulings with respect to services and access that have overridden national policy.
The EU will determine who can, and who cannot receive services, if services don't meet a minimum 'humanitarian' requirement, etc. etc.
If the UK for exampled tried to privatize it's healthcare system (not suggesting they should) - and make a US-style 'pay for it' type model - the EU would step in a major way.
Same thing for schooling and other services.
I'm sorry but I don't think you can say that since the 'EU does not maintain competence' in these areas, that they don't act like a federal state.
They still 'own' the show at the end of the day.
And to boot: the level of interdiction is only increasing. Within 30 years, many of those systems will be federalized at the EU level - or at least - have enough regulatory elements such that they de-facto run the show.
Markel and others have already called for an EU Army.