ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides context by first surveying the most important theories and concepts of regional integration and then shows how and why the European Union (EU) has evolved. It gives the earliest ideas about European unification sets the scene for the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, whose founding members were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The book looks at the European institutions and explains how they work and how they relate to each other. It focuses on the policies pursued by the EU and looks at what integration has meant for the member states and for Europeans themselves. The book also focuses on relations between the EU and the United States, which have blown hot and cold over the years.
