The Penguin Companion to European Union

At the beginning of the 21st century, Europe is undergoing a process of rapid change. Countries of central and eastern Europe are negotiating to join the European Union; the single currency has been launched; the Treaty of Amsterdam has come into force; the Treaty of Nice has been adopted; and radical reforms are reshaping security organizations such as NATO and the WEU, as well as the Union itself.;All these and many other developments across the whole field of European integration are surveyed in this new edition of "The Penguin Companion to European Union". The book is a series of alphabetically arranged mini-essays (ranging in length from 300 to 2000 words) covering the key issues, institutions, policies and personalities which have influenced the European Community. It is aimed both as a reference book and as a free standing academic treatment of the principal features of Community politics.;Topics include: the historical background to European integration; the basic Treaties, backed by extensive quotations from the key articles; how decisions in Europe are taken, and by whom; technical terms - legal, political and economic; and the main policy areas, with summaries of progress to date and references to legislation.