Michèle Knodt is a Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair, ad personam at Technical University Darmstadt, Germany.Natalia Chaban is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a twice-awarded Jean Monnet Chair.Oriol Costa is a Senior Research Associate at IBEI and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.Patrick Müller is a Professor of European Studies at the University of Vienna and the Vienna School of International Studies, Austria.

“This timely and authoritative Handbook brings together some of the most distinguished scholars in the field to provide an exceptionally rich and wide-ranging assessment of European Union politics. It offers sharp insights into key themes such as participation, contestation, identity, and the EU’s evolving role in an increasingly fragile global order. A must-read for scholars, students, and practitioners alike who seek to understand the complexities and challenges of contemporary European governance.”Gerda Falkner, Head of the Centre for European Integration Research, Institute for Political Science, University of Vienna, Austria“This impressive Handbook stands out for its rigorous political science perspective on the European Union. It provides a comprehensive and analytically sophisticated account of the EU as a political system, exploring the institutions, actors, and processes that shape policymaking in a multilevel context. With its thematic breadth, empirical depth, and conceptual clarity, it is an invaluable reference for understanding both the internal dynamics and the external challenges facing the EU today. A landmark volume for anyone teaching, researching, or engaging with EU politics.”Knud Erik Jørgensen, Professor emeritus at Aarhus University, Denmark

• 1. Introduction: European Politics in Times of Global and Domestic Changes Part 1: Characteristics of EU Politics 2. Governance and Politics in the European Union: A Political System sui generis between Nation State and International Organisation 3. EU Politics in a Multi-Level Governance System 4. Democratic Governance in the European Union 5. Differentiated Integration 6. Europeanization 7. European Disintegration 8. (Harder) Soft Governance in the European Union 9. EU Responses to Democratic Backsliding 10. Polycrisis and Resilience in the European Union 11. BREXIT 12. European Politics in Crisis Management Part 2: Institutions in EU Politics: Between Autonomy and Integration 13. The European Commission 14. Council of the European Union 15. European Council: The EU’s Lead Executive Institution 16. Regions in EU Politics 17. Cities and Urban Politics in the EU 18. The European Parliament: Dealing with Inter-institutional Gains, Political Pressure and Structural Deficits 19. Cleavages in the European Parliament 20. The Court of Justice of the European Union in EU Politics 21. Trilogues as a (Formal) Informal Tool of EU Decision-making 22. Agencification in the EU Multilevel Administrative System 23. The European Administrative Space: Policy-making in Multilevel Administration Part 3: Participation, Attitudes and Perceptions in the EU 24. Citizens' Attitudes to the European Union in Times of Crisis 25. Changes in EU Voters’ Preferences and Policy Priorities 26. From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus: The Politicisation of the European Union in Domestic Public Opinion 27. EU Citizens’ Perceptions of the European Union’s Leadership Performance 28. Collaborative Journalism and Politics in Europe: Journalists as Opinion-Shapers and Members of the Public in the EU 29. Central European Populist Euroscepticism: Perceptions of the European Union 30. Participation in the EU 31. Democratic Resilience in the EU and the Role of Citizen Engagement Mechanisms 32. EU Interest Groups: Lobbying Strategies and Transparency Regulation 33. The Double Fragmentation of the European Public Sphere 34. Conference on the Future of Europe 35. Gender and Politics in the EU Part 4: External Dimension of EU Politics 36. The EU and the Fragmentation of the Liberal International Order 37. External Differentiated Integration: Institutionalizing Third Country Participation in the EU 38. Hostage-taking in EU Foreign and Security Politics 39. The Geopolitical Commission 40. The Multiple-hatted Role of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 41. The European Parliament in EU Foreign Policy: An ‘Evolving Diplomatic Actor’ 42. Enlargement Politics: From Normative Transformation to Geostrategic Investment 43. The EU and Multilateral Negotiations 44. The Dynamics of Organizational Overlap in European Security: EU, NATO and the Politics of Interorganizational Cooperation 45. Hybrid Interference and EU Governance

Michèle Knodt is a Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair, ad personam at Technical University Darmstadt, Germany.Natalia Chaban is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a twice-awarded Jean Monnet Chair.Oriol Costa is a Senior Research Associate at IBEI and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.Patrick Müller is a Professor of European Studies at the University of Vienna and the Vienna School of International Studies, Austria.

“This timely and authoritative Handbook brings together some of the most distinguished scholars in the field to provide an exceptionally rich and wide-ranging assessment of European Union politics. It offers sharp insights into key themes such as participation, contestation, identity, and the EU’s evolving role in an increasingly fragile global order. A must-read for scholars, students, and practitioners alike who seek to understand the complexities and challenges of contemporary European governance.”Gerda Falkner, Head of the Centre for European Integration Research, Institute for Political Science, University of Vienna, Austria“This impressive Handbook stands out for its rigorous political science perspective on the European Union. It provides a comprehensive and analytically sophisticated account of the EU as a political system, exploring the institutions, actors, and processes that shape policymaking in a multilevel context. With its thematic breadth, empirical depth, and conceptual clarity, it is an invaluable reference for understanding both the internal dynamics and the external challenges facing the EU today. A landmark volume for anyone teaching, researching, or engaging with EU politics.”Knud Erik Jørgensen, Professor emeritus at Aarhus University, Denmark

• 1. Introduction: European Politics in Times of Global and Domestic Changes Part 1: Characteristics of EU Politics 2. Governance and Politics in the European Union: A Political System sui generis between Nation State and International Organisation 3. EU Politics in a Multi-Level Governance System 4. Democratic Governance in the European Union 5. Differentiated Integration 6. Europeanization 7. European Disintegration 8. (Harder) Soft Governance in the European Union 9. EU Responses to Democratic Backsliding 10. Polycrisis and Resilience in the European Union 11. BREXIT 12. European Politics in Crisis Management Part 2: Institutions in EU Politics: Between Autonomy and Integration 13. The European Commission 14. Council of the European Union 15. European Council: The EU’s Lead Executive Institution 16. Regions in EU Politics 17. Cities and Urban Politics in the EU 18. The European Parliament: Dealing with Inter-institutional Gains, Political Pressure and Structural Deficits 19. Cleavages in the European Parliament 20. The Court of Justice of the European Union in EU Politics 21. Trilogues as a (Formal) Informal Tool of EU Decision-making 22. Agencification in the EU Multilevel Administrative System 23. The European Administrative Space: Policy-making in Multilevel Administration Part 3: Participation, Attitudes and Perceptions in the EU 24. Citizens' Attitudes to the European Union in Times of Crisis 25. Changes in EU Voters’ Preferences and Policy Priorities 26. From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus: The Politicisation of the European Union in Domestic Public Opinion 27. EU Citizens’ Perceptions of the European Union’s Leadership Performance 28. Collaborative Journalism and Politics in Europe: Journalists as Opinion-Shapers and Members of the Public in the EU 29. Central European Populist Euroscepticism: Perceptions of the European Union 30. Participation in the EU 31. Democratic Resilience in the EU and the Role of Citizen Engagement Mechanisms 32. EU Interest Groups: Lobbying Strategies and Transparency Regulation 33. The Double Fragmentation of the European Public Sphere 34. Conference on the Future of Europe 35. Gender and Politics in the EU Part 4: External Dimension of EU Politics 36. The EU and the Fragmentation of the Liberal International Order 37. External Differentiated Integration: Institutionalizing Third Country Participation in the EU 38. Hostage-taking in EU Foreign and Security Politics 39. The Geopolitical Commission 40. The Multiple-hatted Role of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 41. The European Parliament in EU Foreign Policy: An ‘Evolving Diplomatic Actor’ 42. Enlargement Politics: From Normative Transformation to Geostrategic Investment 43. The EU and Multilateral Negotiations 44. The Dynamics of Organizational Overlap in European Security: EU, NATO and the Politics of Interorganizational Cooperation 45. Hybrid Interference and EU Governance

Michèle Knodt is a Professor of Political Science and Jean Monnet Chair, ad personam at Technical University Darmstadt, Germany.Natalia Chaban is a Professor at the Department of Media and Communication at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a twice-awarded Jean Monnet Chair.Oriol Costa is a Senior Research Associate at IBEI and an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.Patrick Müller is a Professor of European Studies at the University of Vienna and the Vienna School of International Studies, Austria.

“This timely and authoritative Handbook brings together some of the most distinguished scholars in the field to provide an exceptionally rich and wide-ranging assessment of European Union politics. It offers sharp insights into key themes such as participation, contestation, identity, and the EU’s evolving role in an increasingly fragile global order. A must-read for scholars, students, and practitioners alike who seek to understand the complexities and challenges of contemporary European governance.”Gerda Falkner, Head of the Centre for European Integration Research, Institute for Political Science, University of Vienna, Austria“This impressive Handbook stands out for its rigorous political science perspective on the European Union. It provides a comprehensive and analytically sophisticated account of the EU as a political system, exploring the institutions, actors, and processes that shape policymaking in a multilevel context. With its thematic breadth, empirical depth, and conceptual clarity, it is an invaluable reference for understanding both the internal dynamics and the external challenges facing the EU today. A landmark volume for anyone teaching, researching, or engaging with EU politics.”Knud Erik Jørgensen, Professor emeritus at Aarhus University, Denmark

• 1. Introduction: European Politics in Times of Global and Domestic Changes Part 1: Characteristics of EU Politics 2. Governance and Politics in the European Union: A Political System sui generis between Nation State and International Organisation 3. EU Politics in a Multi-Level Governance System 4. Democratic Governance in the European Union 5. Differentiated Integration 6. Europeanization 7. European Disintegration 8. (Harder) Soft Governance in the European Union 9. EU Responses to Democratic Backsliding 10. Polycrisis and Resilience in the European Union 11. BREXIT 12. European Politics in Crisis Management Part 2: Institutions in EU Politics: Between Autonomy and Integration 13. The European Commission 14. Council of the European Union 15. European Council: The EU’s Lead Executive Institution 16. Regions in EU Politics 17. Cities and Urban Politics in the EU 18. The European Parliament: Dealing with Inter-institutional Gains, Political Pressure and Structural Deficits 19. Cleavages in the European Parliament 20. The Court of Justice of the European Union in EU Politics 21. Trilogues as a (Formal) Informal Tool of EU Decision-making 22. Agencification in the EU Multilevel Administrative System 23. The European Administrative Space: Policy-making in Multilevel Administration Part 3: Participation, Attitudes and Perceptions in the EU 24. Citizens' Attitudes to the European Union in Times of Crisis 25. Changes in EU Voters’ Preferences and Policy Priorities 26. From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus: The Politicisation of the European Union in Domestic Public Opinion 27. EU Citizens’ Perceptions of the European Union’s Leadership Performance 28. Collaborative Journalism and Politics in Europe: Journalists as Opinion-Shapers and Members of the Public in the EU 29. Central European Populist Euroscepticism: Perceptions of the European Union 30. Participation in the EU 31. Democratic Resilience in the EU and the Role of Citizen Engagement Mechanisms 32. EU Interest Groups: Lobbying Strategies and Transparency Regulation 33. The Double Fragmentation of the European Public Sphere 34. Conference on the Future of Europe 35. Gender and Politics in the EU Part 4: External Dimension of EU Politics 36. The EU and the Fragmentation of the Liberal International Order 37. External Differentiated Integration: Institutionalizing Third Country Participation in the EU 38. Hostage-taking in EU Foreign and Security Politics 39. The Geopolitical Commission 40. The Multiple-hatted Role of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 41. The European Parliament in EU Foreign Policy: An ‘Evolving Diplomatic Actor’ 42. Enlargement Politics: From Normative Transformation to Geostrategic Investment 43. The EU and Multilateral Negotiations 44. The Dynamics of Organizational Overlap in European Security: EU, NATO and the Politics of Interorganizational Cooperation 45. Hybrid Interference and EU Governance