Since the second edition of this popular Very Short Introduction published in 2007, the world has faced huge economic and political change. Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, John Pinder and Simon Usherwood cover a range of topics, including the Union's early history, the workings of its institutions and what they do, the interplay between 'eurosceptics' and federalists, and the role of the Union beyond Europe in international affairs and as a peace-keeper. In this fully updated third edition, Pinder and Usherwood incorporate new material on the Lisbon treaty, the EU fiscal crisis, the state of the single Euro currency in its wake, and conclude by considering the future of the Union and the choices and challenges that may lie ahead.

John Pinder was the Director of the Policy Study Institute from 1964 to 1985 and is now a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. He is also the chairman of the Federal Trust, London and Honorary Professor at the College of Europe. He is the author of numerous books, including "The Building of the European Union" and, most recently, "The European Union: a Very Short Introduction".