Since its inception the European Union has been a fiercely contested and politically divisive project. In recent years, controversial issues such as EU enlargement, the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, and the fallout from the Eurozone crisis have tested the EU to its limits and divided public opinion in the process.

This innovative volume brings together leading scholars from around the world to debate the nature, current state and future of European integration. The contributors represent the whole spectrum of thinking about the European Union, ranging from pro-European to openly Eurosceptic perspectives. Within the book, chapters present two opposing perspectives on a wide range of controversies. Among the issues discussed are: how efficient is the European Union? Has the European project been a success? Will the Eurozone survive in its present state? And can the EU tame big finance? Guaranteed to illuminate as well as spark debate, this text provides an engaging and incisive overview of the most important issues in contemporary EU politics.

Hubert Zimmermann is Professor of International Relations, University of Marburg, Germany, and was previously DAAD Visiting Associate Professor, Cornell University, USA. 

Andreas Dür is Professor of International Politics, University of Salzburg, Austria.

Introduction
1. The European Union: Success or Failure?
Why Europe Works - John McCormick
The Rise and Fall of the EU - Jan Zielonka
2. The Political Efficiency of the EU
The EU as Efficient Polity - Desmond Dinan
The EU: Quick to Regulate, Slow to Adapt - Mats Persson
3. More Powers for Brussels or Renationalization?
A Stronger, More Supranational Union - Derek Beach
The New Intergovernmentalism – The Next Phase in European Integration - Uwe Puetter
4. How Democratic Is The EU?
The Inevitability of a Democratic Deficit - Richard Bellamy
A Democratic Achievement, not just a Democratic Deficit - Christopher Lord
5. Too Much Power for the Judges?
Understanding the European Court's Political Power- Karen Alter and Daniel Kelemen
A Strange Institution - Jeremy Rabkin
6. Can There Be A Common European Identity?
The Emergence of a European Identity - Ulrike Liebert
A Common European Identity is an Illusion - Jonathan White
7. Lobbying in the EU: How Much Power for Big Business?
Big Business Dominates the EU - Laura Horn and Angela Wigger
The Power of Big Business is Constrained in the EU - David Marshall
8. The Uncertain Future of the Euro
Why the Euro is a Functional Necessity in the Process of European Integration - Henrik Enderlein
For a Plurality of Economic and Social Models! Against the Uniform Euro State! - Andreas Nölke
9. The Euro: Economic Success or Disaster?
Exit or Differentiated Monetary Integration – Saving the Euro by Making It More Flexible - Tal Sadeh
Unity in Diversity: The Unfulfilled Promise of the Euro - Waltraud Schelkle
10. Can the EU Tame Big Finance?
The Merits of Adaptive Governance: The Regulation of Financial Services in the EU - Jörn Carsten Gottwald
The Pitfalls of EU Governance in Financial Markets - Daniel Mügge
11. The Big Waste? The Common Agricultural Policy
Europe's Common Values and Agricultural Policy: A Defence of the CAP - Ann-Christin Knudsen
The European Agricultural Fortress Under Attack - Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt
12. Does the EU Act as a Normative Power?
The EU as Normative Power - Daniela Sicurelli
Living in a Material World: A Critique of 'Normative Power Europe' - Mark Pollack
13. Is EU Enlargement a Success Story or Has It Gone Too Far?
The Benefits of EU Enlargement: Defending Security, Prosperity, and Democracy - Rachel Epstein
EU Enlargement: A Critique - Christopher J. Bickerton
14. Towards A Common European Army?
Still Flattering to Deceive: The Common Security and Defence Policy Defence! - Anand Menon
Defence Integration in the EU: From Vision to Business-as-Usual - Hanna Ojanen
15. Should It Stay or Should It Go? Britain, EU Membership and the Merits of Selective Integration
A Benign Hegemon: Germany's European Vocation - Miguel Otero-Iglesias and Hubert Zimmermann
The Failure of German Leadership - Matthias Matthijs
16. New German Hegemony: Does It Exist, And Is It Dangerous?
The Case for Brexit: Why Britain should leave the EU - Alan Sked
Brexit – a Disaster for Britain and for the European Union - Martin Rhodes
Conclusion