EU Law: The Essential Guide to the Legal Workings of the European Union 3rd ed

June 2005 - No publication date for a 4th edition has been announced
Completely revised and updated, this text provides background information to an understanding of the operation of the European Union and of the problems facing it.

Written by two experts in the field, the book surveys the gradual development of the European Community and its emergence as the European Union and provides an examination of the EU's legislative process, the jurisdiciton of the Court and the principles of direct effect and supremacy. Coverage is also given to the internal market, including freedom of movement of goods, persons, services and capital; to competition policy, including mergers, intellectual property and state intervention in the market; and to social policy.

Completely updated in the light of the Treaty of Amsterdam, this account explores the institutional and constitutional changes to the legal structure of the EU made by that treaty. This includes new legislation designed to create an area of freedom, security and justice within which people will be able to move about freely, and the establishment of closer co-operation between some of the Member States. Economic and monetary union is also discussed and a new chapter looks at consumer and environmental policy.

Although the book deals primarily with the legal perspective, it also includes a detailed examination of the political institutions, such as the Commission, Council and Parliament.