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Product Description
Product Description
This Very Short Introduction explains the European Union in plain English. Fully updated for 2007 to include controversial and current topics such as the Euro currency, the EU's enlargement, and its role in ongoing world affairs, this accessible guide shows how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present. Covering a range of topics from the Union's early history and the ongoing interplay between 'eurosceptics' and federalists, to the single market, agriculture, and the environment, the authors examine the successes and failures of the EU, and explain the choices that lie ahead in the 21st century.
About the Author
Professor John Pinder, OBE, is an Honorary Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges and Natolin, and Chairman of the Federal Trust, London. Previous positions held include Director of the Policy Studies Institute, Vice-President of the International European Movement and President of the European Union of Federalists.
He has studied the development of the European Community since 1950, seeing it as a framework for lasting peace and prosperity. His books include Britain and the Common Market (1961), The Economics of Europe (1971), The European Community and Eastern Europe (1991), The Building of the European Union (1998), Foundations of Democracy in the European Union (1999), and The European Union: A Very Short Introduction (1st edition, 2001).
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
The European Union of today is the result of a process that began over half a century ago with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
The European Union of today is the result of a process that began over half a century ago with the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a superbly written précis - ideal for those with only a basic understanding of the complexities of the European Union - and an excellent springboard to more thorough books on the subject. The author is knowledgeable and opinionated, but generally able to present his work in an unbiased manner, without overburdening the reader with technical details about the various institutions.
For such a short book, it is remarkably comprehensive, including political, economic, legal and historical observations. I particularly enjoyed the presentation of the EU's history, with its emphasis on the characters that have been involved in the development of the EU. Pinder's views on Britain's role are obvious - he is a fervent Europhile - but he is also quick to point out the shortcomings of badly conceived or poorly executed policies in which Britain has played no part.
Given the current political climate, it was a pleasure to read a pro-European book written with authority and style. A far cry from the emotive rhetoric that pervaded the recent election campaign. This is compulsory reading for us all before the promised referendum on Europe.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book as an introduction to the EU to compliment a course i'm studying and for formation and brief history of the EU to how the EU is governed, the agriculture policy, social policy and the environmental policy, then this book is useful. The EU is a very broad and for some a confusing organisation to understand but as an introduction and as a quick refernce guide, this book is helpfull!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Putting aside any pro-European biases which username may indicate, this is a "very short" introduction to a mammoth topic. It manages to keep to the format of it's series, and not at any point compromise on depth or quality.
It covers the formation of the EU, the key legislative framework behind it and its main organs. With the recent Commons motion on an EU referendum, and the current EU economic crisis which is threatening the single currency and wider partnership, it is imperative at this time, more than any other, that every citizen of an EU member state is well informed.
At some points, it's readability is certainly suboptimal, but given the relevance of this topic, it is certainly a "must read"
It covers the formation of the EU, the key legislative framework behind it and its main organs. With the recent Commons motion on an EU referendum, and the current EU economic crisis which is threatening the single currency and wider partnership, it is imperative at this time, more than any other, that every citizen of an EU member state is well informed.
At some points, it's readability is certainly suboptimal, but given the relevance of this topic, it is certainly a "must read"
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Unsatisfied
I am a fanatic of the very short introduction series.
I found this one lacking a clear structure in its chapters. The material is presented in a way hard to follow
I found this one lacking a clear structure in its chapters. The material is presented in a way hard to follow
Published 3 months ago by A. Georgios
Written by a Europhile
Check out the hilarious 2001 review - "This is compulsory reading for us all before the promised referendum on Europe".
That was ten years ago, and still nothing. Read more
That was ten years ago, and still nothing. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Billy Ray Cyrus
No good for beginners
I'm reading several of the "A very short introduction" titles in preparation for a Politics and International Relations degree. Read more
Published on 10 April 2009 by H. Glaister
Excellent in principle but now, sadly, out of date
The EU is a very complex organisation and Pinder provides a clear, structured description, starting with the historical background of the EU's predecessor organisations,... Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2005
Unclear and unfocused
I picked up this book to try and clear some of the confusion that surrounds the EU. Quite simply I wanted to understand what it was all about. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2003 by Bookworm
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