The European Union

• The European Union: How Does it Work? is one of the best introductions to the EU for those with little or no prior knowledge of it. It is concise and readable without sacrificing breadth of coverage or accuracy.
• Bringing together practitioners who have worked or currently work in the EU's institutions with leading scholars and academics, it provides a unique perspective of how the EU works both in theory and in practice.
• It contains many pedagogical features, including innovative tools, such as 'How it Really Works' boxes that contrast EU workings in theory and practice, and 'Compared to What' boxes that compare the EU to other political systems. It is also accompanied by an Online Resource Centre with helpful additional resources for students and lecturers.

New to this edition

• Richard Corbett, former Member of the European Parliament, joins the editorial team for the third edition to ensure it continues to offer a practitioner's perspective.
• There are new chapters on 'How Policies are Made' - to help clarify what is often viewed as a complex process - and 'The EU as a Security Actor', which spans the full range of internal and external security policies that are a major growth area for EU policy-making.
• The chapter on democracy has been re-written by a new author, and focuses specifically on the question of EU legitimacy.
• All chapters have been revised and updated in light of the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the effects of the financial crisis on the Eurozone.

Readership: First and second year undergraduate students studying European Union politics.

Edited by Elizabeth Bomberg, Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations and Europa Institute, University of Edinburgh, John Peterson, Professor of International Politics, Politics and International Relations and Europa Institute, University of Edinburgh, and Richard Corbett, Former Member of the European Parliament, current advisor on institutional issues to the President of the European Council

Elizabeth Bomberg is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations and member of the Europa Institute at the University of Edinburgh

John Peterson is Professor of International Politics and member of the Europa Institute at the University of Edinburgh

Richard Corbett served as the Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber region from 1999 to 2009. He is currently an advisor on institutional issues to the President of the European Council

"'...[This] book provides the type of scholarship we need in order to better understand the EU.'" - Vasilis Margaras, EU Observer

"'The book is written by well-regarded academics and practitioners. In this respect, the book has an added value since it not only mentions theory but also explains the real day-to-day politics of the EU.'" - Vasilis Margaras, EU Observer

Part 1: Background
1: Elizabeth Bomberg, John Peterson, and Richard Corbett: Introduction
2: Desmond Dinan: How did we get here?
Part 2: Major actors
3: John Peterson, Elizabeth Bomberg, and Richard Corbett: The EU's institutions
4: Brigid Laffan: Member states
Part 3: Policies and policy-making
5: Alberta Sbragia & Francesco Stolfi: Key policies
6: Rory Watson & Richard Corbett: How policies are made
7: Richard Corbett: Democracy
Part 4: The EU and the Wider World
8: Graham Avery: EU expansion and wider Europe
9: Sandra Lavenex and John Peterson: The EU as a security actor
10: John Peterson: The EU as a global actor
11: John Peterson, Elizabeth Bomberg, and Richard Corbett: Conclusion