This book examines just what the European Union is, in the context of the ongoing structural transformation of the global system. The author develops an integrated approach to global transformations, drawing on geopolitics, political geography, international relations, economics, economic and political history, political economy and macro-sociology to discuss how this supra-state organisation, that shares and pools the sovereignty of some of the wealthiest states of the modern world, makes sense. The book:

• Interprets the ongoing transformation of west European public authority in the context of the global geopolitical economy of competition, cooperation and conflict
• Examines the consequences of west European integration for the global system in a longue-dur?e perspective, developing a new, geopolitical dialect within world-systems analysis, sharpening some of the conceptual tools developed by its paradigm-setters.
• Develops a new conceptualization for the EU's global geopolitical strategy, which the author describes this strategy as the elasticity of size

Developing a deeper understanding of global social change and west European strategies of global advantage-maintenance and power-management, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of European Politics, International Politics, International Relations Theory and Globalization Studies.

This book examines accountability in the EU from different perspectives and considers whether EU citizens have real opportunities for holding decision-makers accountable. This book critically analyses five arguments which claim there are sufficient means for holding decision-makers to account in the Union. The authors examine:

• The argument that we should rethink the meaning of accountability in the EU context
• The claim that there is no accountability deficit in the EU because member states have the power to retrieve all delegated competencies
• The assertion that EU citizens have effective mechanisms for holding those responsible for legislative decision-making to account
• The contention that the arrangements that obtain at present for holding the executive power in the EU to account are acceptable
• The belief that the involvement of organised civil society can work as an alternative to traditional forms of accountability

The main conclusion is that the current institutional set-up and practice of decision-making in the EU is one that merely creates an illusion of accountability.

Using a strict framework focusing on the difference between formal mechanisms and actual opportunities for accountability, this highly coherent volume will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, especially those interested in the democratic foundations of the European political system.

The new edition of this best-selling text provides the most up-to-date single volume history of the European Union from its origins through to the present day. Fully updated and revised throughout, this is the ideal starting point for students and others wishing to read an accessible, readable and comprehensive account of the development of the EU. Topics new to this edition: The impact of the Euro and economic and monetary union. Analysis of post-9/11 splits in the EU over Afghanistan and Iraq, and debates on the New European security order and the threat posed by terrorism. The enlargement of the EU to 27 members and discussions over further expansion. The initial failure of the EU Constitutional Treaty. The growth in Euroscepticism across the continent. An engaging contribution to the understanding of the past, present and uncertain future of European integration, European Union is essential reading for all students of European history, European Union politics, and International Relations.

The new edition of this best-selling text provides the most up-to-date single volume history of the European Union from its origins through to the present day. Fully updated and revised throughout, this is the ideal starting point for students and others wishing to read an accessible, readable and comprehensive account of the development of the EU. Topics new to this edition: The impact of the Euro and economic and monetary union. Analysis of post-9/11 splits in the EU over Afghanistan and Iraq, and debates on the New European security order and the threat posed by terrorism. The enlargement of the EU to 27 members and discussions over further expansion. The initial failure of the EU Constitutional Treaty. The growth in Euroscepticism across the continent. An engaging contribution to the understanding of the past, present and uncertain future of European integration, European Union is essential reading for all students of European history, European Union politics, and International Relations.

Surveying the European Unionâ s evolution from the Rome Treaty to the present, The Emerging European Union captures the full story of Europeâ s ongoing integration, its changing identity, and its increasing importance as a global actor in the 21st Century. This textâ s concise but comprehensive overview of the history, institutions, and policies of the European Union lays out the major elements of the European integration and explain how the European Union functions. Emphasizing competing intergovernmental and supranational forces, this text explains the origins and future of the European Union as well as its political uniqueness.

The EU policy process is dependent on negotiations as a mode of reaching agreements on, and implementing, common policies. The EU negotiations differ from traditional international negotiations in several respects and this book presents a detailed analysis of the processes while examining their distinguishing features.
The authors explore the variety of negotiation processes, the continuity and institutionalization of negotiation processes as well as the involvement of a variety of actors besides governments, often linked in informal networks. Going beyond the common distinctions based on issue-areas or the EU as negotiation arena as opposed to negotiating actor externally, the authors explore the impact of different stages in the policy process and the nature of the external negotiating partner.

This book discusses the future of the European Union following the failure of the Constitutional and reform treaties, examining the transformations, dynamics and major issues facing present-day Europe.

Discussing key questions relating to the future of the European project, this book brings together leading academics and practitioners, including: Adrienne H?ritier, Jan Zielonka, Yves M?ny, Maurizio Cotta, Philippe Schmitter, ECJ Advocate General Miguel Maduro and former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox. These contributors provide provocative and innovative accounts of developments within the European Union, contrasting theoretical reflections with a more professional perspective based on first-hand experience in running European affairs. The contributions focus on three key challenges: enlargement, the end of the permissive consensus and the need for democratization of the European Union, considering questions such as:

• What does Europe represent to neighbouring countries and how is it addressing their expectations?
• How could a larger Union be governed efficiently?
• Are European citizens willing to delegate responsibility to their leaders to tackle European integration?
• Is it accurate to accuse the European Union of a "democratic deficit"?

Institutional Challenges in Post-Constitutional Europe will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, especially those with an interest in European integration/enlargement, constitutionalism, and democratization.

Brilliantly witty and full of irreverent fun, this is a tongue-in-cheek look at Europe by leading cartoonist Kipper Williams, whose work regularly appears in the Guardian and The Spectator. From Brussels red tape to tax-dodging corporations, from batty nationalists to plotting Europhiles, from Mrs Merkel to Her Majesty: Kipper Williams finds all the ingredients for comedy in the great Euro debate. He covers international events (Greece's financial troubles, the refugee crisis) and more local issues (the PM's rivalry with Boris Johnson and, of course, the 2016 referendum on Brexit), not to mention the more bizarre and ludicrous sides of the EU and British attitudes to our neighbours across the Channel.

This clear and engaging text examines the process and politics of the European UnionOs OEasternO enlargement, beginning with its initial response to the 1989 revolution up through the Helsinki summit decisions of December 1999. Michael Baun explores such topics as the EUOs original decision to enlarge, the pre-accession strategy for prospective members, the key political decisions on launching and expanding the accession negotiations, and the actual progress of the negotiations. He also examines the EUOs efforts to reform its policies and institutions in advance of enlargement. Throughout, Baun weaves in understandable explanations of the complex multilevel process of EU decisionmaking. He concludes by considering the limits of enlargement and its consequences for the EUOs future development.

The book examines the integration of European trade union movement and explores the prospects for European or transnational solidarity among workers.

Contrary to much existing research and despite national differences, Gajewska examines how trade unions cooperate and the forms in which this cooperation take place. Drawing on four case studies illustrating experiences of Polish, German, British, Latvian and Swedish trade unions in various sectors and workers representatives at a multinational company, this book investigates the conditions under which trade unions and workers formulate their interests in non-national / regional terms, and analyzes the character, limits and potentials of solidarity in a transnational context.

Seeking to generate a new theory of European integration of labour and to contribute to sociological approaches on the European integration and Europeanization of society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, European integration, labour/industrial relations, trade unionism and sociology.

In May 2004, eight former communist states in Central and Eastern Europe acceded to the European Union.

This new book examines the Eastern expansion of the EU through a tripartite structure, developing an empirical, conceptual and institutional analysis to provide a rounded and substantive account of EU enlargement, with new theoretical insights. The foreword is by written by Pat Cox, former president of the European Parliament.

John O'Brennan also explores:

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• why the EU decided to expand its membership
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• what factors drove this process forward?
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• how did the institutional environment of the EU influence enlargement outcomes?
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In this context he comprehensively covers the role of the European Council, Commission and Parliament.

This important volume will of great interest to students and scholars of European politics and European Union studies.

Who really participates in the European policy process? Do organized outsiders have a clear advantage in gaining access to decision-making? If so, with what consequences? This study, based on a range of case studies of regulatory and industrial policies by a multinational team of authors, argues that the European policy process provides access points for a wide variety of interests - firms, national trade associations, European sectoral and peak associations, clubs of big business, and 'civic' interests - alongside the battalions of officials from the member states. The interplay between these organized interests, the member governments, and the European institutions, fostered partly by the Commission in its roles of policy initiator and arbitrator, but anticipated also in the bargaining process of the Council of Ministers, produces some policy outcomes that are different from those in national settings. In particular, the case for liberalization and privatization is often strengthened. The emerging patterns of European governance are thus starting to change the characteristics of the European political economy.

This book provides a detailed examination of the complex negotiation processes surrounding intergovernmental conferences in the European Union.

Since the Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) and its ?appendix?, the Treaty of Nice in 2002, any reform of the treaty framework of the European Union seems to be doomed to fail, evidenced by the decline of the Constitutional Treaty and by the current fate of the Lisbon treaty. By presenting an extensive quantitative study of the Intergovernmental Conference of 1996/7 prior to the Treaty of Amsterdam, the authors argue that these negotiations reveal the major challenges of European integration. Drawing on advanced statistical methods, they contend that multi-level negotiations require an appropriate coordination of informal administrative networks and the empowerment of administrative leadership, with these factors significantly shaping the dynamics and outcomes of negotiations. Through these findings, this book lays down the foundation for future evidence-based evaluations of negotiations and implementation studies, and delivers new insights on decision-making within the European Union.

European Union Intergovernmental Conferences will be of interest to students and researchers of political science, sociology, administrative science, business and management studies, international law and European law.

This book explores and analyses the multidimensional influence the European Union exerts in the world, focusing on its contribution to regional and global governance.

Presenting a multidisciplinary approach with contributions by a panel of outstanding scholars from political science, economics, legal studies, philosophy and history, the book examines the EU as global player and international power in the making. The book is divided into three parts:

• Part I examines the influence of the EU as such on global governance, considering the Euro, the common market, the modernization policies for a knowledge society and its global role as both a multinational and regional democratic political system
• Part 2 focuses on the EU s external policies, including trade; humanitarian aid; the environment; climate change, migration, terrorism, crime and EU foreign policy
• Part 3 explores the EU as a global actor in the making and looks at issues including enlargement and the EU s neighbourhood policy; inter-regionalism; it critically addresses the weight of the historical legacies of Europe in the world and its cosmopolitan perspectives as well

The European Union and Global Governance will be of vital interest to students and scholars of European Politics, International Relations, and European Studies.

First published in 2008 and based on an innovative framework for analysing the EU's external politics, this paperback edition provides a historical overview of and theoretical conclusions about the EU's global role. Taking an original approach, the volume highlights the expanding political science literature on Europe's international role in a range of external policy domains. It focuses in particular on the 'soft' dimension of Europe's international action which has previously been much neglected. Carefully structured to make this ideal supplementary reading for students and scholars of European politics and foreign policy, the book will equally appeal to a wider audience in political economy, security policy and international relations more generally.

This volume casts a fresh look on how the political spaces of the Western Balkan states (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania) are shaped, governed and transformed during the EU accession process. The contributors argue that EU conditionality in the Western Balkans does not work 'effectively' in terms of social change because rule transfer remains a 'contested' business, due to veto-players on the ground and strong legacies of the past. The volume examines specific policy areas, salient in the enlargement process and to a different degree incorporated in the accession criteria, as well as EU foreign policy in the spheres of post-conflict stabilisation, democratization and the rule of law promotion.

This book explores and analyses the multidimensional influence the European Union exerts in the world, focusing on its contribution to regional and global governance.

Presenting a multidisciplinary approach with contributions by a panel of outstanding scholars from political science, economics, legal studies, philosophy and history, the book examines the EU as global player and international power in the making. The book is divided into three parts:

• Part I examines the influence of the EU as such on global governance, considering the Euro, the common market, the modernization policies for a knowledge society and its global role as both a multinational and regional democratic political system
• Part 2 focuses on the EU's external policies, including trade; humanitarian aid; the environment; climate change, migration, terrorism, crime and EU foreign policy
• Part 3 explores the EU as a global actor in the making and looks at issues including enlargement and the EU's neighbourhood policy; inter-regionalism; it critically addresses the weight of the historical legacies of Europe in the world and its cosmopolitan perspectives as well

The European Union and Global Governance will be of vital interest to students and scholars of European Politics, International Relations, and European Studies.

International demand for military crisis-management missions continues to grow and demand for troops continues to outstrip supply. Like other Western democracies, European Union member states, because of their wealth, relative military competence and commitment to human rights, bear a particular responsibility to expand the international community s capacity for action. But while the EU has succeeded in defining a complex military-technical and political-strategic framework to boost its role and that of its member states in crisis management, its performance so far has fallen well short of its ambitions.

This paper analyses what the EU wants to be able to do militarily its level of ambition and contrasts this aspiration with the current reality. To explain the gap between the two, the paper examines national ambitions and performance across the EU and analyses their domestic determinants using the examples of Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by suggesting that the EU might need to strike a new balance between the inclusiveness and the effectiveness of its activities in this area if it wants to increase its military crisis-management performance and live up to its declared ambitions.

The investigation of the internal workings of interest groups opens the view on the behavioural dynamics within these organisations. By analysing their intraorganisational structures, this book explains how groups prepare to become active in the European Union and why we observe contact, conflict and cooperation of interest groups and other political actors in the European arena. The book presents four causal mechanisms which explain, on the one hand, why interest groups engage with contacts across a diverse set of political actors and, on the other hand, why some interest organisations are more actionable at the European level than others. It furthermore elaborates a typology of interest groups along intraorganisational criteria. The analysis of twelve differing case studies provides a rich empirical ground to explain how and why certain intraorganisational processes unfold within interest groups. It thereby sheds light on the behavioural organisational patterns which drive interest group agency in European multi-level politics. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars of interest groups, lobbying, European Union politics and more broadly to public policy/administration and comparative politics.

How do Muslim citizens across the globe perceive the European Union? And what factors influence their EU attitudes? This book offers the first systematic theoretical and empirical analysis of Muslim citizens' EU attitudes in and outside the European Union. Using the best empirical data available, the book demonstrates that Muslim citizens' attitudes are not shaped by their denomination and religious beliefs, but by material and political considerations. It finds that Muslims are most favourable toward the EU due to their positive experiences in European contexts, whereas in contrast, Muslim citizens outside the EU are more skeptical toward the European Union due to sovereignty concerns and the lack of support from the EU and its member states. Such findings not only contribute to the research on social legitimacy of international organizations and international public opinion more generally, but also provide important suggestions for (European) policy makers regarding external and domestic policies. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of European Union politics, Middle East studies, public opinion and International Relations.

Does the European Union need closer fiscal integration, and in particular a stronger fiscal centre, to become more resilient to economic shocks? This book looks at the experience of 13 federal states to help inform the heated debate on this issue. It analyses in detail their practices in devolving responsibilities from the subnational to the central level, compares them to those of the European Union, and draws lessons for a possible future fiscal union in Europe. More specifically, this book tries to answer three sets of questions: What is the role of centralized fiscal policies in federations, and hence the size, features and functions of the central budget? What institutional arrangements are used to coordinate fiscal policy between the federal and subnational levels? What are the links between federal and subnational debt, and how have subnational financing crises been handled, when they occurred? These policy questions are critical in many federations, and central to the current discussions about future paths for the European Union. This book brings to the table new, practical insights through a systematic and comprehensive comparison of the EU fiscal framework with that of federal states. It also departs from the decentralization perspective that has been prominent in the literature by focusing on the role of the centre (which responsibilities are centralized at the federal level and how they are handled, rather than which functions belong to the local level). Such an approach is particularly relevant for the European Union, where a fiscal union would imply granting new powers to the centre.

Europe is at a major crossroads in its post-World War II history. The European Union (EU) has not only successfully adopted the euro as a common currency but it also stands upon the threshold of including twelve more member states. In this comprehensive volume, Peter Coffey, author of The Future of Europe (Edward Elgar, 1995), examines the major issues and challenges facing Europe and presents a concise and up-to-date analysis of the economic, political and social issues facing the EU on the eve of its impending enlargement. The book is divided into five parts, with Part One analyzing issues surrounding the enlargement of the EU including criteria for membership, negotiations with candidate countries, and possible implications. Part Two covers the euro and the EMU. In Part Three the author examines the major areas of reform - institutional as well as policy - and sets forth his own proposals for future policy changes. Part Four reviews the European Convention, while Part Five looks to the future of Europe. Also included are official documents on European unification that are often difficult to obtain.In conclusion, the author foresees that the EU will, at least for some time, become a confederation of nation states, rather than a federation as desired by some EU members. This timely book is a must read for students and scholars of European studies, as well as political leaders and those with business interests in Europe.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of the European Union's social role in the world, assessing the EU's ability to shape the social aspect of globalization from both law and political science perspectives. Focusing explicitly on the EU, the authors address the extent of coherence between the Union's international social objectives compared with the activities of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and with other EU foreign policy goals. Various dimensions of Europe's global social role are addressed, including: the social dimension of EU trade relations the involvement of civil society in EU development policies the linkage between the EU's internal and external 'social model' the export of Europe's social acquis through enlargement and neighbourhood policies the EU's international position on health, gender equality, children's rights, and corporate social responsibility the role of the Union in the ILO The European Union and the Social Dimension of Globalization will be of strong interest to students and researchers in EU studies, Globalization studies, and Social Policy.

Many international and supranational organisations have lately been busy modernising their internal administration. But nowhere has management change received a similar amount of attention than in the case of the European Commission. Although the perception prevails that the Commission has been losing out in recent years, this vivid interest, academic as well as public, in the so-called Kinnock reform suggests that this organisation still remains "at the heart of the Union". The proposition of this book thus is simple. If it remains true that the Commission is an essential part within the (admittedly complex) equation of EU policy-making, changes of the administration basis of this actor are likely to have broader implications. Consequently, this special issue poses three crucial questions about the recent administrative reform of the European Commission: why was such a comprehensive reform possible, what are its specific implications for the Commission as an organisation and what is the likely impact for the policy process? In short, this book puts the organisational base of EU policy-making centre stage. In the quest for answers the authors of the subsequent chapters take distinct perspectives, use various research strategies and methods, and attempt to solve diverse empirical puzzles. But all attempt to add to our understanding of this organisational base, and how to systematically study it. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.

This volume seeks to explore the complex relationship between the European Union and International Organizations, and to fill a remarkably wide gap in existing literature on the topic.

Analysing the way in which the EU engages in some of the most important international organizations, this book outlines a framework for analysis within this thriving subject of study. By demonstrating how the EU supports 'effective multilateralism' and global governance, as well as furthering developments within foreign policy, this volume adopts a novel perspective on the EU as an international player. Seeking to move the focus of study beyond the European Union as itself an international organization, contributors set out to demonstrate EU aspirations to act within international organizations. The volume's key features include:

• the first comprehensive study on this topic
• eight case studies of the EU, including its role within the UN, WTO, NATO, and the ICC
• contributions from both internationally renowned political scientists and economists

The European Union and International Organizations will be of vital interest to students and scholars of international relations, European Politics, Political Science, and International Organisations. It will also be of interest to a wider readership including policy makers, diplomats, and journalists.