The European Union [antikvár]

The entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam in May 1999 and the move towards the further enlargement of the European Union, with a preparatory Inter-governmental Conference aimed at reforming the EU's institutions, mark further steps in the process of integration in Europe. Both the attempts to deepen integration within the EU and to widen its membership have led to problems, a number of which remain unsolved. Furthermore, there are disputes about the very nature of the EU and its aims and objectives. Nevertheless, the European Union continues to be a beacon for those European states that are not yet members, and has become an important actor on the world scene. This book is about the European Union, its history, institutions, policies and relations with other areas of the world. It also considers the theories and ideas about European integration and the nature of the EU. The book is set out to be accessible to the student. It starts, in the Introduction, with a brief political history of Europe from the rise of the sovereign state to the post-Second World War period. Since 1945 integration has been an important phenomenon in Europe, and this is placed in its wider context. Chapter 1 examines the theories and concepts of European integration and relates these to the life and times of the European Communities and European Union. The EU's institutions and budget are covered in Chapter 2, which also sets out the legislative processes of the EU and discusses its democratic element. Chapter 3 looks at the completion of the Single European Market or internal market over the period since the establishment of the European Economic Community, and the move to economic and monetary union, with the creation in January 1999 of the euro currency, is related in Chapter 4. The following three chapters are about important policy aspects of the EC/EU: Chapter 5 is on the social dimension, covering a range of policies; Chapter 6 gives a central place to the Common Agricultural Policy, a key element of the EC, but also deals with environmental policy; and Chapter 7 gives an account of the EC/EU's regional and structural policies. Chapter 8 traces the EC/EU's relations with its citizens, and co-operation in judicial and police matters. The Common Foreign and Security Policy, including the burgeoning defence co-operation,