About this book:

*The EU Story: From Coal and Steel to a Contested Union* provides a comprehensive political and policy history of the European Union, tracing its evolution from the 1951 European Coal and Steel Community to the complex, 27-member geopolitical actor of the 2020s. The book details the foundational "functionalist" logic of Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, who sought to make war impossible through economic interdependence. It follows the expansion of the single market through the Treaty of Rome and the Single European Act, the creation of the euro via the Maastricht Treaty, and the institutional reforms of the Lisbon Treaty. Central to this narrative is the unique institutional "triangle" of the Commission, Council, and Parliament, overseen by a Court of Justice that established the supremacy of European law over national statutes.

The text candidly examines the "polycrisis" that has defined the Union in the 21st century. It analyzes the structural flaws of the Eurozone that led to the sovereign debt crisis, the internal fractures exposed by the 2015–2016 migration emergency, and the unprecedented institutional trauma of Brexit. The book highlights how these events shifted the EU from a project of technocratic "permissive consensus" to one of intense political contestation. This is further evidenced by internal challenges to the rule of law in member states like Hungary and Poland, where the EU has struggled to enforce its foundational democratic values through mechanisms like Article 7 and budget conditionality.

In its later chapters, the book explores the EU’s pivot toward "strategic autonomy" in response to global shifts. It details the ambitious European Green Deal and the Digital Single Market as efforts to set global regulatory standards. Significant attention is given to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which forced an abrupt decoupling from Russian energy and a renewed emphasis on common security and defense industrial policy. These developments represent a move away from pure market liberalism toward a more pragmatic, state-led industrial strategy designed to navigate the geoeconomic rivalry between the United States and China.

The book concludes by evaluating future paths for the Union: deepening into a federal core, decoupling into a loose free-trade area, or settling into a permanent model of "differentiated integration." It argues that while the EU has shown remarkable resilience and adaptive capacity, it remains plagued by an unresolved democratic deficit and a mismatch between its economic scope and its cultural coherence. Ultimately, the work portrays the EU as a living, contested experiment that must continually renegotiate the balance between national sovereignty and supranational necessity to remain relevant in a multipolar world.

What You'll Find Inside:

• The historical evolution of European integration from the Coal and Steel Community to a complex political union facing 21st-century challenges
• How EU institutions function and interact, including the Commission's right of initiative, Council voting procedures, Parliament's legislative powers, and the Court's jurisprudential impact
• Major treaty reforms from Rome to Lisbon that reshaped sovereignty, decision-making, and the balance between supranational and intergovernmental elements
• How crises like the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, the 2015-2016 migration emergency, and Brexit have tested and transformed European integration
• Current debates about the EU's future regarding deepening integration, strategic autonomy, and differentiated approaches to climate, defense, and digital policy

Who's It For:

This book is ideal for students and scholars of European politics, international relations, or EU studies who need a comprehensive understanding of the Union's historical development and institutional mechanics. It will also benefit professionals working in EU institutions, national governments dealing with EU affairs, international organizations, and policy analysts seeking contextual knowledge for contemporary European challenges. Journalists covering EU affairs and informed citizens interested in the origins and future trajectory of European integration will find valuable insights into how the Union functions as both a historical project and a living system continuously shaped by crises and political bargains.