Introduction

This is the third edition of a work that first appeared in 1999. The inspiration and approach remain the same. It is for the contributors to consider how their particular subject has evolved over time, to analyse the principal themes, and to assess the legal and political forces that have shaped its development. This book is not, therefore, a text, and contributors have free rein to tell the story of the evolution of their chosen area as they think fit. A range of forces has shaped and continues to shape the evolution of EU law. The most obvious novelty of the first decade of the new millennium was Treaty reform, culminating in the Lisbon Treaty. The ensuing decade has been turbulent for the EU, as it has been beset by the financial crisis, the rule of law crisis, the pandemic, Brexit and problems concerning immigration. A number of important new chapters have been added to the book, including on the Rule of Law, Judicial Reform, Brexit, Constitutional and Legal Theory, Refugee and Asylum law, and Data Governance, while several chapters from the previous edition, such as the Legal Bases for EU Action, EU Enlargement, and the Regulation of Network Industries have, for a variety of reasons, not been included this time.