Covering the history, governing institutions, and policies of the European Union, John McCormick and Jonathan Olsen argue that the EU is one of the world's economic and political superpowers, has brought far-reaching changes to the lives of Europeans, and has helped its member states to take a newly assertive role on the global stage. Unlike most other books on the European Union, this text pays particular attention to the implications of the EU for the United States.

Thoroughly revised and updated, with many new tables, figures, and boxes, the fifth edition of The European Union takes into account developments in the debate about the character and significance of the EU, changes to the structure of EU institutions, the implications of the recent rounds of enlargement, the Lisbon Treaty, the origins and nature of the crisis in the Eurozone, and key policy developments.