John Pinder - European Union: A Very Short Introduction

Praise for earlier editions of
The European Union: A Very Short Introduction

This up-to-date and accessible guide to the EU, with an authorship team of academic and practitioner experts, will be of benefit to anyone who wants to understand how todays EU works and why it has as many problems as achievements. A very welcome book.

Alex Warleigh-Lack

John Pinder writes straightforwardly and beautifully clearly... He has done an extraordinary job of compressing the history, and the book is absolutely up to date.

Helen Wallace

John Pinder is in a class of his own. He brings clarity and vision to what is too often complicated and obscure. He causes both friend and foe to wonder what a reformed and strengthened Union could achieve for all Europe and for the wider world.

Andrew Duff, MEP, Constitutional Affairs Spokesman,
European Liberal Democrats

... indispensable not only for beginners but for all interested in European issues. Pithy, lucid and accessible it covers recent history, institutions, and policies, as well as future developments.

Rt. Hon. Giles Radice, MP

... it not only lives up to but exceeds the promise of its title. This is in fact The European Union A Very Short, Useful and Straightforward Guide.

Independent on Sunday

invaluable

William Keegan, Observer

Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP,
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Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries

John Pinder and Simon Usherwood 2013

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First Edition published in 2001
Second Edition published in 2007
This Edition published 2013

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available

ISBN 9780199681693

Printed in Great Britain by
Ashford Colour Press Ltd, Gosport, Hampshire

Very Short Introductions available now:

ADVERTISING Winston FletcherAFRICAN HISTORY John Parker and Richard RathboneAGNOSTICISM Robin Le PoidevinAMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS L. Sandy MaiselTHE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY Charles O. JonesANARCHISM Colin WardANCIENT EGYPT Ian ShawANCIENT PHILOSOPHY Julia AnnasANCIENT WARFARE Harry SidebottomANGLICANISM Mark ChapmanTHE ANGLO-SAXON AGE John BlairANIMAL RIGHTS David DeGraziaANTISEMITISM Steven BellerTHE APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS Paul FosterARCHAEOLOGY Paul BahnARCHITECTURE Andrew BallantyneARISTOCRACY William DoyleARISTOTLE Jonathan BarnesART HISTORY Dana ArnoldART THEORY Cynthia FreelandATHEISM Julian BagginiAUGUSTINE Henry ChadwickAUTISM Uta FrithBARTHES Jonathan CullerBESTSELLERS John SutherlandTHE BIBLE John RichesBIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY Eric H. ClineBIOGRAPHY Hermione LeeTHE BOOK OF MORMON Terryl GivensTHE BRAIN Michael OSheaBRITISH POLITICS Anthony WrightBUDDHA Michael CarrithersBUDDHISM Damien KeownBUDDHIST ETHICS Damien KeownCAPITALISM James FulcherCATHOLICISM Gerald OCollinsTHE CELTS Barry CunliffeCHAOS Leonard SmithCHOICE THEORY Michael AllinghamCHRISTIAN ART Beth WilliamsonCHRISTIAN ETHICS D. Stephen LongCHRISTIANITY Linda WoodheadCITIZENSHIP Richard BellamyCLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY Helen MoralesCLASSICS Mary Beard and John HendersonCLAUSEWITZ Michael HowardTHE COLD WAR Robert McMahonCOMMUNISM Leslie HolmesCONSCIOUSNESS Susan BlackmoreCONTEMPORARY ART Julian StallabrassCONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY Simon CritchleyCOSMOLOGY Peter ColesTHE CRUSADES Christopher TyermanCRYPTOGRAPHY Fred Piper and Sean MurphyDADA AND SURREALISM David HopkinsDARWIN Jonathan HowardTHE DEAD SEA SCROLLS Timothy LimDEMOCRACY Bernard CrickDESCARTES Tom SorellDESERTS Nick MiddletonDESIGN John HeskettDINOSAURS David NormanDIPLOMACY Joseph M. SiracusaDOCUMENTARY FILM Patricia AufderheideDREAMING J. Allan HobsonDRUGS Leslie IversenDRUIDS Barry CunliffeTHE EARTH Martin RedfernECONOMICS Partha DasguptaEGYPTIAN MYTH Geraldine PinchEIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN Paul LangfordTHE ELEMENTS Philip BallEMOTION Dylan EvansEMPIRE Stephen HoweENGELS Terrell CarverENGLISH LITERATURE Jonathan BateEPIDEMIOLOGY Roldolfo SaracciETHICS Simon BlackburnTHE EUROPEAN UNION John Pinder and Simon UsherwoodEVOLUTION Brian and Deborah CharlesworthEXISTENTIALISM Thomas FlynnFASCISM Kevin PassmoreFASHION Rebecca ArnoldFEMINISM Margaret WaltersFILM MUSIC Kathryn KalinakTHE FIRST WORLD WAR Michael HowardFORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY David CanterFORENSIC SCIENCE Jim FraserFOSSILS Keith ThomsonFOUCAULT Gary GuttingFREE SPEECH Nigel WarburtonFREE WILL Thomas PinkFRENCH LITERATURE John D. LyonsTHE FRENCH REVOLUTION William DoyleFREUD Anthony StorrFUNDAMENTALISM Malise RuthvenGALAXIES John GribbinGALILEO Stillman DrakeGAME THEORY Ken BinmoreGANDHI Bhikhu ParekhGEOGRAPHY John Matthews and David HerbertGEOPOLITICS Klaus DoddsGERMAN LITERATURE Nicholas BoyleGERMAN PHILOSOPHY Andrew BowieGLOBAL CATASTROPHES Bill McGuireGLOBAL WARMING Mark MaslinGLOBALIZATION Manfred StegerTHE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE NEW DEAL Eric RauchwayHABERMAS James Gordon FinlaysonHEGEL Peter SingerHEIDEGGER Michael InwoodHIEROGLYPHS Penelope WilsonHINDUISM Kim KnottHISTORY John H. ArnoldTHE HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY Michael HoskinTHE HISTORY OF LIFE Michael BentonTHE HISTORY OF MEDICINE William BynumTHE HISTORY OF TIME Leofranc Holford-StrevensHIV/AIDS Alan WhitesideHOBBES Richard TuckHUMAN EVOLUTION Bernard WoodHUMAN RIGHTS Andrew ClaphamHUME A. J. AyerIDEOLOGY Michael FreedenINDIAN PHILOSOPHY Sue HamiltonINFORMATION Luciano FloridiINNOVATION Mark Dodgson and David GannINTELLIGENCE Ian J. DearyINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION Khalid KoserINTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Paul WilkinsonISLAM Malise RuthvenISLAMIC HISTORY Adam SilversteinJOURNALISM Ian HargreavesJUDAISM Norman SolomonJUNG Anthony StevensKABBALAH Joseph DanKAFKA Ritchie RobertsonKANT Roger ScrutonKEYNES Robert SkidelskyKIERKEGAARD Patrick GardinerTHE KORAN Michael CookLANDSCAPES AND CEOMORPHOLOGY Andrew Goudie and Heather VilesLAW Raymond WacksTHE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS Peter AtkinsLEADERSHIP Keth GrintLINCOLN Allen C. GuelzoLINGUISTICS Peter MatthewsLITERARY THEORY Jonathan CullerLOCKE John DunnLOGIC Graham PriestMACHIAVELLI Quentin SkinnerMARTIN LUTHER Scott H. HendrixTHE MARQUIS DE SADE John PhillipsMARX Peter SingerMATHEMATICS Timothy GowersTHE MEANING OF LIFE Terry EagletonMEDICAL ETHICS Tony HopeMEDIEVAL BRITAIN John Gillingham and Ralph A. GriffithsMEMORY Jonathan K. FosterMICHAEL FARADAY Frank A. J. L. JamesMODERN ART David CottingtonMODERN CHINA Rana MitterMODERN IRELAND Senia PasetaMODERN JAPAN Christopher Goto-JonesMODERNISM Christopher ButlerMOLECULES Philip BallMORMONISM Richard Lyman BushmanMUSIC Nicholas CookMYTH Robert A. SegalNATIONALISM Steven GrosbyNELSON MANDELA Elleke BoehmerNEOLIBERALISM Manfred Steger and Ravi RoyTHE NEW TESTAMENT Luke Timothy JohnsonTHE NEW TESTAMENT AS LITERATURE Kyle KeeferNEWTON Robert IliffeNIETZSCHE Michael TannerNINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN Christopher Harvie and H. C. G. MatthewTHE NORMAN CONQUEST George GarnettNORTHERN IRELAND Marc MulhollandNOTHING Frank CloseNUCLEAR WEAPONS Joseph M. SiracusaTHE OLD TESTAMENT Michael D. CooganPARTICLE PHYSICS Frank ClosePAUL E. P. SandersPENTECOSTALISM William K. KayPHILOSOPHY Edward CraigPHILOSOPHY OF LAW Raymond WacksPHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Samir OkashaPHOTOGRAPHY Steve EdwardsPLANETS David A. RotheryPLATO Julia AnnasPOLITICAL PHILOSOPHY David MillerPOLITICS Kenneth MinoguePOSTCOLONIALISM Robert YoungPOSTMODERNISM Christopher ButlerPOSTSTRUCTURALISM Catherine BelseyPREHISTORY Chris GosdenPRESOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY Catherine OsbornePRIVACY Raymond WacksPROGRESSIVISM Walter NugentPSYCHIATRY Tom BurnsPSYCHOLOGY Gillian Butler and Freda McManusPURITANISM Francis J. BremerTHE QUAKERS Pink DandelionQUANTUM THEORY John PolkinghorneRACISM Ali RattansiTHE REAGAN REVOLUTION Gil TroyTHE REFORMATION Peter MarshallRELATIVITY Russell StannardRELIGION IN AMERICA Timothy BealTHE RENAISSANCE Jerry BrottonRENAISSANCE ART Geraldine A. JohnsonROMAN BRITAIN Peter SalwayTHE ROMAN EMPIRE Christopher KellyROMANTICISM Michael FerberROUSSEAU Robert WoklerRUSSELL A. C. GraylingRUSSIAN LITERATURE Catriona KellyTHE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION S. A. SmithSCHIZOPHRENIA Chris Frith and Eve JohnstoneSCHOPENHAUER Christopher JanawaySCIENCE AND RELIGION Thomas DixonSCOTLAND Rab HoustonSEXUALITY Vronique MottierSHAKESPEARE Germaine GreerSIKHISM Eleanor NesbittSOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY John Monaghan and Peter JustSOCIALISM Michael NewmanSOCIOLOGY Steve BruceSOCRATES C. C. W. TaylorTHE SOVIET UNION Stephen LovellTHE SPANISH CIVIL WAR Helen GrahamSPANISH LITERATURE Jo LabanyiSPINOZA Roger ScrutonSTATISTICS David J. HandSTUART BRITAIN John MorrillSUPERCONDUCTIVITY Stephen BlundellTERRORISM Charles TownshendTHEOLOGY David F. FordTHOMAS AQUINAS Fergus KerrTOCQUEVILLE Harvey C. MansfieldTRAGEDY Adrian PooleTHE TUDORS John GuyTWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITAIN Kenneth O. MorganTHE UNITED NATIONS Jussi M. HanhimkiTHE U.S. CONCRESS Donald A. RitchieUTOPIANISM Lyman Tower SargentTHE VIKINGS Julian RichardsWITCHCRAFT Malcolm GaskillWITTGENSTEIN A. C. GraylingWORLD MUSIC Philip BohlmanTHE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION Amrita NarlikarWRITING AND SCRIPT Andrew RobinsonNext page