The European Union: A Citizen's Guide

Description

The essential introduction to the European Union - its history, its politics, and its role - published in time for the EU referendum For most of us today, 'Europe' refers to the European Union. At the centre of a seemingly never-ending crisis, the EU remains a black box, closed to public understanding. Is Europe ruled by Germany or by European bureaucrats? Does a single European economy exist after all these years of economic integration? And should the EU have been awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2012? Critics tell us the EU undermines democracy. Are they right? In this provocative volume, political scientist Chris Bickerton provides an answer to all these key questions and more at a time when understanding what the EU is and what it does is more important than ever before.

Chris Bickerton is a University Lecturer in politics at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow in politics at Queens' College, Cambridge. He has previously taught at Oxford, University of Amsterdam, and Sciences Po in Paris. His books include European Integration (2012) and he writes frequently for the international media. He has been writing regularly for Le Monde Diplomatique since 2006.

The European Union: A Citizen's Guide by Chris Bickerton is a good place to find out how Europe works: the European council, the council of Europe and the Byzantine committee structure that operates in virtual secrecy... My advice is this. Use Bickerton... to learn how the EU works... And then, whatever Cameron says, you can make up your own mind about the future -- Roland White * Sunday Times * An unlikely bestseller * Daily Telegraph * A lucid, helpful guide to the EU's structures and operating methods -- Tony Barber * Financial Times * An indispensable book for these times * Big Issue * Provocative * Economist * A timely account of the EU's byzantine bureaucratic procedures and political rules * The Times Literary Supplement *