Herman Lelieveldt is Associate Professor in Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair at University College Roosevelt, the liberal arts and sciences college of Utrecht University in Middelburg, the Netherlands. He teaches a broad range of courses in the field of comparative politics, EU politics and EU law. His research focuses on the politics and policies of sustainability transitions in food and energy in the EU and its member states. Sebastiaan Princen is Associate Professor in the field of governance and policy-making in the European Union. He teaches in bachelor's, master's and executive master's programmes at Utrecht University School of Governance. His research focuses on issues of international and European governance – more specifically, policy-making in the European Union. In recent years, he has published extensively on processes of agenda-setting in the EU. His current research deals with the role of policy paradigms in the EU, and the implementation of EU policies.

Praise for the First Edition: 'In a world of either overly empirical or overly complex EU textbooks, Lelieveldt and Princen strike an excellent balance in writing a theoretically informed, empirically accurate and highly accessible introduction to the politics of the EU.' Mark Rhinard, Stockholm University in Public Administration

• List of figures; List of maps; List of tables; List of briefings; List of fact files; List of controversies; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations and acronyms; List of country abbreviations used in tables and figures; Part I. Setting the Scene: Origins, Analytical Perspectives and Institutions; 1. The historical development of the EU; 2. Analysing the EU; 3. The institutional framework; 4. Legislation and decision-making: putting the institutional puzzle together; Part II. Key Actors in EU Politics: Citizens, Interest Groups and Political Parties; 5. Public opinion and political participation; 6. Interest groups and interest representation; 7. Political parties and the European Parliament; Part III. EU Policies: Agenda-Setting, Decision-Making and Implementation; 8. An overview of EU policy-making; 9. Agenda-setting; 10. Decision-making; 11. Implementing policies; Conclusions and Reflections; 12. Reflecting on the EU as a political system; Key terms and concepts; Index.