The state of the European Union, Vol.6. Law, politics and society

Abstract:

This work is the sixth volume in a series organised by the European Union Studies Association on the State of the European Union. It comes at the time of significant development in the EU through its recent and largest single expansion and at a time when there are challenging divisions within the Union on the war in Iraq.

The book is organised in six parts. Part one opens with a general overview of the evolution of EU law and politics with emphasis on the growing intersection between the two disciplines. Chapter two explores the relationship between European integration and EU law. Chapter three looks at the evolution of EU law with specific focus on developments in the case law of the European Court of Justice. Part two concentrates on the new structures of governance and modes of decision making. The limitations of the present institutional framework are exposed in chapter four. New modes of governance are considered in chapter five including the open method of co-ordination. Chapter six focuses on the European Convention. The third part explores the interaction of macro-level structures with the micro-level, individual action. Chapter seven examines the implication of the transnational political parties and the emergence of Euro-parties. The institutionalisation of these new modes of governance has implications for the individual and access to greater democracy which are explored in chapter eight. Part four focuses on law in action. The role of the Commission as 'guardian of the treaty' is examined in chapter nine. The impact of EU institutional structure on individual rights litigation is the focus of chapter ten. The air transport industry litigation is used in chapter eleven to show how and why the ECJ litigation strategy is not always successful for the individual claimant. Part five opens with a chapter on European monetary policy. Chapter thirteen presents an up-to-date account of the enlargement process both at the candidate state level and the institutional changes at the EU level. EU immigration policy is the focus of chapter fourteen. Part six provides practical, theoretical, and methodological information for carrying out research and designing courses on the EU. Chapter fifteen draws together resources on conducting both qualitative and quantitative research on law and politics in the EU. Chapter sixteen deals with the comprehensive resources available on the Internet.

The book will interest scholars, students, researchers and practitioners engaged in the study of European law, politics and European studies.

Tanja A. Börzel is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Heidelberg. Rachel A. Cichowski is Assistant Professor of Comparative Law at the University of Washington.