This accessible and innovative book recognizes that the European Union is now of crucial importance to the whole continent, and analyses the situation in both the East and the West. It offers a thorough discussion of issues such as the euro, social policy, democracy and security, and includes areas that are often overlooked: cultural policy; language; policing; and the specific experience of small states. By analyzing past trends in European unity and disunityEuropean Integration in the Twenty-first Centuryalso offers stimulating insights into possible developments in the future. Finally, the book moves beyond a narrow preoccupation with the economic market to identify new ways in which to construct a broader, more meaningful political and socio-economic community. Bringing together experts from different fields, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the many challenges to the on-going European integration project.