The European Union. A critical guide

Book abstract:

This book examines the origins, development and current direction of the European Union. The book emphasises that economic and political factors should be the main considerations for support for or against the European Union. It covers the European Union's structure and legislative process and then has sections on the major policy debates. The sections are supplemented by tables and boxes that summarise some of the major points.

The sections cover the following topics; The Treaties; The Institutions of the EU; Enlargement; The Common Foreign and Security Policy; Citizenship, Justice and Home Affairs; The Euro; The Internal Market; External Economic Relations; Employment and Social History; The Environment; The Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy; Transport; Regional Policy; Industrial Policy and Energy.

In addition to being a basic guide to the functioning of the EU it is also a critique. The book is written from the perspective of someone who is not a nationalist, yet he questions whether the European Union in its current form is the best approach to governance in the 21st century.

Steven McGiffen works for the United Left group in the European Parliament, where his duties include following the Committee on the Environment. He is also an adviser to the Socialist Party of the Netherlands and editor of Spectre, an on-line magazine of the radical left.