'In this book, Dr Countouris presents a penetrating and original analysis of a key area of evolution of current European employment law. He has chosen a timely moment at which to do so, since his analysis is crucially useful to the understanding of the new ILO Recommendation on the Employment Relationship and the new EU Green Paper on labour law.' Mark R. Freedland, St. John's College, University of Oxford, UK The quest for defining the scope of labour law and ensuring protection for all those in need of protection is never ending. This should probably not surprise us, given the economic incentives for (short sighted) employers to evade labour laws. But we should not be deterred either. The new book by Nicola Countouris is yet another important step in that bumpy road...[and is] a useful and important contribution to the already rich literature on this topic.' International Journal of Law In Context