Introduction: Explaining the EU Political System

Abstract

The European Union (EU) is a remarkable achievement. It is the result of a process of voluntary economic and political integration between the nation-states of western Europe. It began with six states, now involves 15, and will soon incorporate 20 or even 25. Also, it began as a coal and steel community and has evolved into an economic, social and political union. Moreover, European integration has produced a set of governing institutions at the European level much like any other multilevel political system. But, this book is not about the history of ‘European integration’, as this story has been told at length elsewhere (see for example Dedman, 1996; McAllister, 1997). Nor does the book try to explain European integration and the major ‘turning points’ in this process, as this too has been the focus of much political science research and theorizing (for example Moravcsik, 1998; Sandholtz and Stone Sweet, 1998). Instead, the aim of this book is to understand how the EU works today. How is governmental power exercised? Under what conditions can the Parliament influence legislation? Is the Court of Justice beyond political control? Why do some citizens support the central institutions while others oppose them? How important are political parties and elections in shaping political choices? Why are some social groups more able to influence the political agenda than others? Are policies to govern the single market deregulatory or reregulatory? Who are the winners and losers from budgetary and redistributive policies? Will Economic and Monetary Union work? Have policies extended and protected citizens’ rights and freedoms? And, how far are the central institutions able to act with a single voice on the world stage?