The European Union in a Global Context is an engaging text, incorporating anecdotes and contemporary arguments, and presenting different perspectives on European integration and globalisation. It provides essential foundations in these areas, while using stimulating arguments to prompt further discussion.

Preface and acknowledgementsPART I: European Union and nationalism 1 Europe’s history – the background to European integration 2 The state, sovereignty, and nationalism 3 Nationalism in Europe PART II: European Union: Theory, process, and implementation4 Integration theory, the European Union, and the state5 European Union institutions and the state 6 EU governance and policymaking 7 International relations theory, the state, and the EU PART III:European Union and contemporary economic globalisation 8 Enlargement: History, achievements, and the EU neighbourhood 9 EU as a global actor: Foreign, security, and defence policy 10 Policing, justice, migration, and internal security 11 Globalisation, the single market, trade, and EU social policy PART IV: European Union and perpetual crisis12 Economic and Monetary Union: Power, unity, discord13 Democratic deficit, Euroscepticism, populism, and contested values14 Sustainability and environmental policy, agriculture, fisheries, energy15 Europe, the state, and globalisationGlossaryIndex

“European Union in the Global Context is an expert overview of its subject. This new edition of the book is a completely updated and refined version of the previous edition, including significant updates to the scholarship and empirical materials. The revised volume is wide-ranging in its coverage of European foreign affairs and is one of the most accessible yet advanced introductions to European global politics and globalisation currently available on the market. The focus on the historical background, key theories, policies, institutions, interests, and key scholarly debates is excellent. Finally, the book analyses the future of European integration in a global context and the role of the EU as an international actor. European Union in the Global Context is a comprehensive treatment of its subject and should be widely read by subject specialists, students of politics and international relations, practitioners, journalists, and the interested lay leader.”Dr Neil Winn, Senior Lecturer in European Studies, University of Leeds, UK“Simon Sweeney’s latest book, Europe in the Global Context covers the topic of European integration, the Europes that preceded it and the different imaginaries of Europe from the widest possible angle. The breadth of the history and politics of this oeuvre makes it a reference for every student of European integration. The depth of the analysis should turn the book into a prime candidate for becoming a seminal work on our understanding of Europe.”Professor Thomas Hoerber, Jean Monnet Chair for European Studies, ESSCA – School of Management, Angers, France“The highly successful first edition of Simon Sweeney’s Europe, the State and Globalisation is expanded and updated substantially in this second edition. His excellent text combines a deep understanding of core concepts of European politics with chapters on its ever expanding policy processes. In the new edition, Sweeney critically assesses the return of war, conflict and disintegration to Europe by focusing considerably on the impact of the Russian war on Ukraine, and Brexit. In contrast to many other books on Europe, Sweeney critically exposes the weaknesses of European integration without diminishing its achievements. In this tour de force of erudite contextualised knowledge, one can find also chapters on the polycrises of the European Union, in immigration crisis, Economic and Monetary Union, external security, and energy. European Union in the Global Context is an outstanding introduction to European politics in a globalised world. As such it is essential reading for scholars and students dealing with Europe.”Professor José Magone, Professor in Regional and Global Governance, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany