The case for Europe. Unity, diversity and democracy in the European Union

Book abstract:

This book was originally published in French a few weeks after the adoption of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997, and has subsequently been translated into seven languages. The English edition was translated by Andrew Butler. It sets out the basic rationales and characteristics of the process of European integration that has been emerging over the last fifty years. The author, who was Belgium's permanent representative to the European Union for ten years, aims to demystify the structures of the EU, the basic forces and reasons that make it work and the strengths and weaknesses of what has been achieved. The book is not intended for a specialist audience, and for this reason has been kept brief, accessible and relatively free from jargon. It focuses on essential issues, attempting to rationalise and present certain European debates by reference to a few basic concepts.

The themes pursued are those of the concept of the European Community and its relationship with nationalism; the legislative framework and different forms of Europe; legal and political agreements; subsidiarity and intervention; democracy, communication and transparency; the conflicts of cohesion and diversity; power, security and defence; and competition against attempts to achieve solidarity. The final chapter looks at the ultimate goals of the European Union, and the problems with achieving those goals, particularly the problem of organising a cohesive structure that nevertheless takes account of the differences between Member States.