Understanding European Union institutions

Book abstract:

This book provides an introduction to the functions of the main institutions of the European Union. It explains which of these institutions have a policy-making role, which ones oversee and regulate and which ones operate in an advisory capacity. The book also provides an overview of European Union history, outlining the development of its institutions and also assessing their continuing importance in the future.

Each chapter of the book concentrates on a specific European Union institution and includes at the end a set of test questions on the chapter, contact information for the institution, and a bibliography of further reading. Each chapter also includes a set of key facts at the beginning and a bullet-pointed summary of the main points covered at the end. The section on policy making has chapters on The Council of Ministers and the European Council, The European Commission, The European Parliament and The European Central Bank. The section on oversight and regulatory institutions has chapters on The European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance, The Court of Auditors, and The European Union Ombudsman. Finally, the section on advisory institutions has chapters on The Economic and Social Committee, and The Committee of the Regions.

The book is aimed at students of European politics. Alex Warleigh is Reader in European Governance and Deputy Director of the Institute for Governance, Public Policy and Social Research, Queens University Belfast. The book includes contributions from academics from British universities.