The Institutions of the European Union

Description

This is the key text for anyone wishing to understand the functions, powers, and composition of the EU's institutions. From the Council of Ministers to the European Central Bank, all of the most important organisations are analysed and explained by international experts.

• Comprehensive coverage of EU institutions, offering students a definitive guide to their functions, powers, and composition
• A team of leading experts, including both academics and practitioners, provide authoritative coverage of all the key institutions, such as the European Council, the European Parliament, and the CJEU
• Each chapter includes helpful features — such as boxes with further information, discussion questions, and suggested further reading — to aid student learning
• Also available as an as an e-book with functionality, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support

New to this edition

• Professors Uwe Puetter of Europa-Universität Flensburg, and Sabine Saurugger of Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA, join Dermot Hodson as Editors
• Thoroughly updated with several newly written chapters
• Includes coverage of how Brexit has reconfigured the Union's decision-making bodies
• Analyses key challenges facing the EU, including the rise of populism, the climate emergency, and the Covid-19 pandemic
• Explores the urgent need to create more diverse and inclusive EU institutions
• A revised structure separates the management of the EU and the governance of sample policy fields into two distinct parts, guiding the reader through these complex topics with clarity and authority
• New discussion questions help students to reflect critically and engage with the content, to take their learning further

About the Author(s)

Edited by Dermot Hodson, Professor of Political Economy, Birkbeck, University of London, Uwe Puetter, Professor in Public Policy, Europa-Universität Flensburg, Sabine Saurugger, Professor of Political Science and Director of Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA, and John Peterson, formerly a Professor of International Politics, University of Edinburgh

Dermot Hodson is Professor in Political Economy at Birkbeck, University of London, and a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. He has published extensively on European integration and governance, and is the co-author of The Transformation of EU Treaty Making: The Rise of Parliaments, Referendums and Courts (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

Uwe Puetter holds the Professorship for Empirical Research on Europe at Europa-Universität Flensburg, and is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. He is a specialist in European Union governance, and the author of The European Council and the Council. New Intergovernmentalism and Institutional Change (Oxford University Press, 2014)

Sabine Saurugger is a Professor of Political Science, Director of Sciences Po Grenoble-UGA, and a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. She is an honorary member of the Institut universitaire de France (IUF), and has published extensively on European integration, public policies, and the relationship between law and politics

John Peterson was formerly a Professor of International Politics at the University of Edinburgh

Table of Contents

1:Why EU Institutions Matter: Five Dimensions of EU Institutional Politics, Dermot Hodson, Uwe Puetter, and Sabine Saurugger
2:The History of EU Institutions: Six Decades of Institutional Change, Renaud Dehousse and Paul Magnette
Part I Providing Direction
3:The European Council: The Union's Supreme Decision-Maker, Luuk van Middelaar and Uwe Puetter
4:The Council of the European Union: Co-legislator, Coordinator and Executive Power, Uwe Puetter
5:The European Commission: From Collegiality to Presidential Leadership, Hussein Kassim
6:The European Parliament: Powerful but Fragmented, Ariadna Ripoll Servent and Olivier Costa
7:The Court of Justice: A Quiet Leader, Sabine Saurugger and Fabien Terpan
Part II Managing the Union
8:The European Commission: The Cabinets and the Services, Frédéric Merand
9:European Union Agencies: Explaining EU Agency Behaviour, Processes, and Outputs, Dovilė Rimkutė
10:The Court of Auditors and the European Ombudsman: The EU's 'Watchdogs', Andreea Năstase and Christine Neuhold
Part III Governing EU Policies
11:The Institutions of Economic and Monetary Union: From the Euro Crisis to COVID-19, Dermot Hodson
12:The Institutions of Justice and Home Affairs: Integrating Security Interests, Andrew Geddes
13:The Institutions of the Common Foreign and Security Policy: Between Intergovernmentalism and Supranationalism, Ana E. Juncos
Part IV Managing Interests
14:The Committee of Permanent Representatives: Integrating Interests and the Logics of Action, Jeffrey Lewis
15:European Parties: A Powerful Caucus in the European Parliament and Beyond, Tapio Raunio
16:The Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions: Consultative Institutions in a Multichannel Democracy, Gabriele Abels
17:EU Institutional Politics: Growing Wiser?, Dermot Hodson, Uwe Puetter, and Sabine Saurugger