Europe as I see it

Book abstract:

The future of the European Union at the start of the 21st Century is a frequently debated topic. Is it a rapidly expanding club of nation states or a large single market in which labour, goods and services can move freely? Is the criticism that it is an economic giant but a political pygmy justified? Has the organisation lost sight of its citizens?

These are just some of the questions that Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, tackles in this new book which offers both a political vision and a personal statement from a man who is at the heart of Europe.

The book is divided into three parts. The focus of Part I is primarily on the internal dimension of the European Union with a discussion of the roots of European integration in Latin and Germanic culture and also suggestions of what constitutes Europe's soul. The emphasis in Parts II and III is more on the role of the European Union in a wider world. Prodi examines both the EU's relationship with its neighbours in the Mediterranean and Europe-Asia relations, as well as the position of European industry in the face of international competition and one of the EU's greatest challenges: unemployment.

Much of the discussion in the book takes on an Italian perspective, with several examples of both Italy's role in European integration and of Italian experiences of being a Member State of the European Union. This serves as a reminder to the reader that Prodi was Italy's Prime Minister before he became President of the European Commission in 1999.

This book will be of great interest to anyone concerned with Europe and its future and is particularly timely considering the launch at the Nice European Council in 2000 of the initiative on The Debate on the Future of the European Union.