TIMOTHY BAINBRIDGE

At the beginning of the twenty-first 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 best-selling Penguin Companion to European Union, now completely revised and brought up to date with more than fifty new entries. Arranged alphabetically, the Companion provides a balanced and comprehensive picture of the ideas, institutions, personalities and political pressures which are shaping the Europe of today. In particular, the Companion covers: