Review by Choice Review
A well-known British specialist offers a clearly written and well-presented introduction on the evolution of the European Community (EC). Pinder explains the reasons for what he regards as a remarkable innovation in relations among states, tracing the substantial steps taken from the first beginnings (the decision in 1950 to set up the European Coal and Steel Community) to the present. These steps include the founding of the other two European Communities, the increase in membership from six to twelve, the creation of a single market, the obtaining by the EC of its own tax revenue, the introduction of direct elections for the European Parliament, the various policies (especially on agriculture), the establishment of foreign policy cooperation and of the European Council, the creation of the European Monetary System, and the considerable number of trade and association arrangements with outside countries. Although Pinder assesses fairly the forces favoring and opposing the unification of Europe and the diminution of the sovereignty of the individual states, unlike most writers on the subject he makes no secret of his own neofederalist position or his enthusiasm about the EC. Anyone interested in current European affairs will find the book helpful for understanding the fast-changing EC. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.-M. Curtis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
