Jacques Delors has been the most successful President of the European Commission in the history of the European Community. This text reconsiders EC history from the mid 1980s, and the Maastricht period in particular, from the point of view of Delors's unfolding strategy.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with Jacques Delors himself, this comprehensive, accessibly written study of his life and Commission presidency is an invaluable resource for all those interested in European and French Politics. Debunking populist images and myths about him, this book presents a balanced examination of a widely misinterpreted political figure. This book also raises important issues such as: the role of individual leaders in contemporary politics the legitimacy of the European Union as a political system.

The development of the European Union has been one of the most profound advances in European politics and society this century. Yet the institutions of Europe and the 'Eurocrats' who work in them have constantly attracted negative publicity, culminating in the mass resignation of the European Commissioners in March 1999. In this revealing study, Cris Shore scrutinises the process of European integration using the techniques of anthropology, and drawing on thought from across the social sciences. Using the findings of numerous interviews with EU employees, he reveals that there is not just a subculture of corruption within the institutions of Europe, but that their problems are largely a result of the way the EU itself is constituted and run. He argues that European integration has largely failed in bringing about anything but an ever-closer integration of the technical, political and financial elites of Europe - at the expense of its ordinary citizens. This critical anthropology of European integration is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the culture and politics of the EU.

Introduced with a preface by Jacques Delors, this volume offers new insights and develops generalised theories about the nature of European integration. The contributors step back from the detail of the latest intergovernmental conference and budgetary negotiations to generate conclusions of enduring value. The issues dealt with include the following: * Britain and integration * intergovernmental conferences * the rule of law * making foreign policy work * the democratic deficit.

Now in a fully revised and updated edition, this book remains the standard for concise histories of the European Union. Mark Gilbert offers a clear and balanced narrative of European integration since its inception to the present, set in the wider history of the post-war period. Gilbert concludes by considering the Union’s future in light of the mood of crisis that has taken hold in the EU in the aftermath of the global recession, the refugee crisis, and Brexit. Listen to a New Books Network interview with the author at https://newbooksnetwork.com/hosts/profile/4c7e90cb-b33e-4121-99fb-9813f2889437.

Exploring the development of the European Union, this book examines the ways in which it has been studied over fifty years from the vantage point of four disciplines, each side of the Atlantic, and both academic and practitioner perspectives. Drawing on contributions by some of the world's leading scholars in the field, it maps the past and present of both the EU and EU studies before setting out a provocative agenda for future work in the area.

While acknowledging the ability of the European Union to advance towards greater political and economic integration, this book questions the wisdom of the European 'project'. Economic and monetary union is a risky venture even for the convergent countries of the continent - let alone divergent Britain - as the uncertain birth of the Euro proves. Political union, moreover, remains an elite aspiration which weakens democratic accountability and lacks popular legitimacy. The likelihood is that the full scope of EU integration will also reveal profound limits.