ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the principal developments in the process of European integration from the end of WWII to August 2012. The EU is a product of that unique process which constantly evolves and has neither a predictable pace nor a fi nal direction. Member States of the EU have differing views on the desirable speed and ultimate depth of integration, but the extent of their commitment to the integration process is often affected by the ever shifting international political and economic environment.
