The European Union: A Beginner's Guide

by Alasdair Blair

Overview

The world's greatest importer and exporter, the European Union is an economic heavyweight with a GDP even larger than the US. But how much do we really know about the nature and aims of the EU, the benefits and costs membership brings, and its impact on peoples' everyday lives? And, in an increasingly multipolar world, can it ever emerge as a global superpower, or do widespread concerns about national sovereignty and serious questions about the Euro's stability mean that it is destined for an uncertain future? Featuring the most up-to-date assessment of the EU, its inner workings, external relations, and likely future development, this is the perfect introduction for anyone seeking to better understand European integration and what it means for Europeans as well as the rest of the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780740911
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	06/01/2012
Series:	Beginner's Guides
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Alasdair Blair is Jean Monnet Chair, Professor of International Relations at De Montfort University, UK. He is the author of The European Union since 1945.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Map ix

1 What is the European Union? 1

2 The creation of the European Community 17

3 From European Community to European Union 38

4 Creating a new Europe 60

5 The muscles from Brussels: the European Commission 72

6 The national interest: the Council of the European Union 95

7 The people's voice: the European Parliament 113

8 The scales of justice: the European Court of Justice 129

9 The European single currency 144

10 The EU and the world 168

11 The European Union: more than the sum of its parts? 192

Further reading 196

Index 200

Editorial Reviews

Indispensable for anyone wanting to know more about ‘Europe’. A complex subject treated with a light touch.

University of East Anglia Hussain Kassim - Professor and Politics and Head of School

"A well focussed introduction to both the history and institutional set-up of the EU... A near perfect equilibrium between fundamental perspectives and relevant factual detail."

Jorg Monar - Professor of Contemporary European Studies and former Co-Director of the Sussex Europea

Excellent and very informed.

Dalhousie University Finn Laursen - Professor and Canada Research Chair in European Union Studies