Summary

This new edition of the established standard text on policy-making in the European Union has been extensively updated and rewritten to take into account all the most important recent developments in EU affairs. The new edition is even more comprehensive than its predecessor. It now includes 15 case studies of European Union policy-making in a range of different fields. In addition, there are updated introductory chapters on EU institutions and policy processes, and a new chapter explaining the various theoretical approaches to the making of policy in the EU. Major recent developments examined include the move to a single European currency, the expansion of common activities in justice and home affairs, recent initiatives to strengthen common foreign and security policy, negotiations on eastern enlargement, and efforts to reform the Common Agricultural Policy. Core policy fields covered include budgetary policy, trade, competition, and the Single Market. Case studies of environmental policy, social policy, and north-south relations illustrate the range and diversity of EU policy-making. Two entirely new case studies examine the common fisheries policy and the struggle to develop a common approach to biotechnology. The expert contributors come from six EU member states and from the USA.