The Future of Europe: Towards a Two-Speed EU? - Hardcover

Piris, Jean-Claude

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107021375 ISBN 13: 9781107021372

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2011

Synopsis

The European Union is in crisis. Public unease with the project, Euro problems and dysfunctional institutions give rise to the real danger that the European Union will become increasing irrelevant just as its member states face more and more challenges of a globalised world. Jean-Claude Piris, a leading figure in the conception and drafting of the EU's legal structures, tackles the issues head on with a sense of urgency and with candour. The book works through the options available in light of the economic and political climate, assessing their effectiveness. By so doing, the author reaches the (for some) radical conclusion that the solution is to permit 'two-speed' development: allowing an inner core to move towards closer economic and political union, which will protect the Union as a whole. Compelling, critical and current, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the future of Europe.

About this title

Review:

'[The reader] will learn much along the way, gaining legal and historical perspective on different forms of co-operation between member states outside, inside and alongside the EU's own treaties ... [Piris] is a great teacher. As the best professors do, he challenges and provokes and gets us arguing.' European Voice

'Piris knows the issues from the inside. He deserves a serious hearing for his argument that the EU's institutions require a radical redesign.' Tony Barber, Financial Times

'[A] remarkable contribution to the current debate on Europe's future ... anyone seriously concerned about the future of the Union should read the compelling description and analysis this book puts forward.' Europe's World

'[Piris's] argument is challenging, stimulating and controversial.' The Institute of International and European Affairs blog

'Thought provoking and compelling.' LSE Review of Books

'For a very long time, as director-general of the legal service at the Council of the Union's general secretariat, Jean-Claude Piris participated as a legal advisor in all inter-governmental conferences that have changed the profile of the European Union since the conference that gave birth to the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. It is therefore an institutional expert who, in this high tempo opuscule, attempts to identify the ways of redemption for a European Union that is decidedly off-colour.' European Library

'We are indebted to Jean-Claude Piris for posing hard and important questions about the current European Union. His analysis has enriched our understanding of what a two-speed European Union means, how it might be attained and its distinctiveness from the multi-speed reality of the current European Union. He has energised debate and this review should be seen as part of the discourse.' Paul Craig, European Law Review

Book Description:

A candid account of what Europe must do to overcome its current crisis. Written by a leading figure in European law, it concludes that only 'two-speed' development can save the project. Critical and accessible, this is required reading for European lawyers, political scientists and all interested in the EU's future.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1107021375
• ISBN 13: 9781107021372
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 178