The Penguin Companion to European Union

Since it was first published in 1995, the best-selling Penguin Companion to European Union has - over three editions - established itself as a key reference-point in the literature of European politics. Through a series of thematic A to Z entries, extending to over 600 pages, the Penguin Companion explains the ideas, institutions, personalities and policies that have shaped politics at European level since the second world war.

The book's entries provide definitive and accessible accounts of the history, institutions and decision-making processes of the European Union - and other international organisations, such as NATO, OECD, WEU and the Council of Europe - as well as of the national and international contexts in which European integration has developed over the last six decades.

In the fourth edition - to be published early in 2012 - all existing entries are up-dated and a series of new entries are added on key developments since the mid-2000s. The latter cover inter alia the drafting and abortive ratification of the European Constitution, its replacement by the new Lisbon Treaty, recent and future enlargements of the European Union, the politics of the 2004-09 and 2009-14 European Parliaments, the policies of the Barroso Commission, the development of the European Council under Herman van Rompuy, attempts at ‘better law-making’ within the EU institutions, and the impact of the current international economic and financial crisis on EMU and the EU generally.

Following the death of Timothy Bainbridge in autumn 2004, Anthony Teasdale became co-author of the book once again, and agreed to take forward successive editions for Penguin.

Book Author

Anthony-teasdale Anthony Teasdale was born in Windsor and educated at Balliol and Nuffield Colleges, Oxford University, where he took at a first in PPE and an M. Phil in Politics. He has since worked as a political adviser both in London and Brussels. He was Special Adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HM Treasury during the Thatcher and Major governments, and has worked in the secretariat of both the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. From 2002-06, Anthony was Head of Policy Strategy and Legislative Planning for the EPP Group in the European Parliament, and director of its t...
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Book Reviews

  • Hugo Young
    "An indispensable collection of answers to every historical or factual question you could have about the highly complex institution which the British tabloid press manages to demonise into reductive, mendacious simplicity."
  • Chris Patten
    "I recommend this book to anyone wanting a comprehensive, well-balanced and well-informed account of today’s Europe."
  • Independent on Sunday
    "Required reading … It leads us with admirable clarity and lack of techno-jargon through the history, composition and machinery of the EC."
  • The European
    "The Penguin Companion to European Union stands out as a lucid and well-written introduction to the EU … comprehensive, accurate and readable – technical enough for the expert, yet accessible for the intelligent lay reader."
  • Journal of Common Market Studies
    "This is a highly useful and affordable multidisciplinary supplement to undergraduate reading lists. Entries are excellent in terms of scope and clarity of treatment."
  • Financial Times
    "A sparkling addition to the sea of Euro-literature. … There is much to surprise and amuse, as well as inform. "