In this fully revised and updated third edition, Alasdair Blair examines the economic, political, personal and social factors that have shaped the process of European integration since the end of the Second World War.
The European Union faces immediate and long-term challenges as it responds to the changing nature of the 21st century global order. Whilst the EU is the world’s most successful multilateral institution that continues to attract applications from prospective member states, it faces the challenge of responding to the increasing support for populist political parties and dealing with erosion to democratic values within its member states.
In this fully revised and updated third edition, Alasdair Blair examines the economic, political, personal and social factors that have shaped the process of European integration since the end of the Second World War. Reflecting the most recent developments and presented in clear, accessible language, the book explores:
- The context of European integration
- The relations between the EU and its member states
- The evolution of the EU’s institutions
- Methods of decision-making
- Key European Union policies
- The rise of populism
- The crises that the EU has faced in the twenty-first century
- The future direction of European integration
Comprehensive and accessible, this book is an essential guide to understanding how the EU works and why it is even more important in the twenty-first century that when it was founded after the Second World War.
Introduction to the series
Publishers acknowledgements
Maps
Preface to the Third Edition
Abbreviations
The Enlargement of the EU
Chronology
Whos Who
Glossary
PART ONE: BACKGROUND
1. THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
An increasingly divided Europe
Theorising European integration
The issue of sovereignty
Challenges ahead
PART TWO: ANALYSIS
2. THE ROAD TO ROME: 194557
The Emergence of European Unity
The Hague Congress
The Coal and Steel Community
The Failure of the European Defence Community
The Treaties of Rome
3. CONSTRUCTING THE COMMUNITY: 195870
Institutional Design
Policies and Competencies
The Nationalist Backlash
The Spirit of the Hague
4. THE ENLARGED COMMUNITY: 1970-84
The First Enlargement
Britains Indecision
Eurosclerosis
Transatlantic Difficulties
Britains Budgetary Question
5. THE TRANSFORMATION OF EUROPE: 1985-1993
Creating the Single Market
The Single European Act
The Road to 1992
Europes Changing Map
The Maastricht Treaty
6. BUILDING A NEW EUROPE: 1994-2010
Enlarging the EU
Treaty of Amsterdam
Treaty of Nice
The Fifth Enlargement and Constitutional Reform
Lisbon and Beyond
7. AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE EUROPE: 2010-2025
Eurozone Crisis
Migration Crisis
Brexit and its Implications
The Rise of Populism, Eurosceptics and Democratic Backsliding
The Changing Nature of European and World Politics
PART THREE: ASSESSMENT
8. THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
European and Global Challenges
Polycrisis
Boundaries of Europe
Nature of Membership
The Future of European Integration
PART FOUR: DOCUMENTS
Further Reading
References
Index
Alasdair Blair is Jean Monnet Professor of International Relations and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor of Education at De Montfort University. He has written widely on British foreign policy, European integration, and the scholarship of teaching and learning in Political Science. He has written over 10 books and 50 journal articles. He is the lead editor of the Journal of Political Science Education and was previously a co-editor of European Political Science and review editor of European Foreign Affairs Review. He is a national teaching fellow, a principal fellow of Advance HE, and a senior certified member of the Association for Learning Technology.
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