The European Union; a very short introduction

- Thoroughly revised and updated to include coverage of the huge changes that have taken place in the EU since 2007
- Incorporates detail about the Lisbon treaty and the changes that have been implemented as a result
- Covers the history of the Union since 1946, looking at the various institutions and what they do
- Examines the role of the Union on the world stage, in its role as a peace-keeper and in the rise of environmental politics
- Considers the future of the Union and the challenges and choices that may lie ahead in the 21st century

New to this edition

- Includes updates about the recent Lisbon treaty, which introduced a wide range of institutional and policy innovations
- Looks at the EU fiscal crisis that has centred on the Euro
- Considers the impact of the fiscal crisis on the governance of the single currency and the effect on the policy of integration
- Includes an updated further reading section

Since the second edition of this popular Very Short Introduction published in 2007, the world has faced huge economic and political change. Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, John Pinder and Simon Usherwood cover a range of topics, including the Union's early history, the workings of its institutions and what they do, the interplay between 'eurosceptics' and federalists, and the role of the Union beyond Europe in international affairs and as a peace-keeper.

In this fully updated third edition, Pinder and Usherwood incorporate new material on the Lisbon treaty, the EU fiscal crisis, the state of the single Euro currency in its wake, and conclude by considering the future of the Union and the choices and challenges that may lie ahead.