The Passage to Europe
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How a Continent Became a Union
Luuk van Middelaar
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“A work of impressive scholarship and historical imagination, . . . unlike anything written about the EU before or since”—Perry Anderson, London Review of Books
As financial turmoil in Europe preoccupies political leaders and global markets, it becomes more important than ever to understand the forces that underpin the European Union, hold it together and drive it forward. This timely book provides a gripping account of the realities of power politics among European states and between their leaders. Drawing on long experience working behind the scenes, Luuk van Middelaar captures the dynamics and tensions shaping the European Union from its origins until today.
It is a story of unexpected events and twists of fate, bold vision and sheer necessity, told from the perspective of the keyplayers – from de Gaulle to Havel, Thatcher to Merkel. Van Middelaar cuts through the institutional complexity by exploring the unforeseen outcomes of decisive moments and focusing on the quest for public legitimacy.
As a first-hand witness to the day-to-day actions and decisions of Europe’s leaders, the author provides a vivid narrative of the crises and compromises that united a continent. By revisiting the past, he sheds fresh light on the present state of European unification and offers insights into what the future may hold.
“Beautifully written (and translated from the original 2009 Dutch edition by Liz Waters), The Passage to Europe has deservedly won several prizes and been translated into four languages (and counting). A 35-page prologue written for the English-language version cogently ties the analysis to more recent events. It is well worth digging through the 44 pages of notes, commentary and bibliography which van Middelaar has banished to the back of the book. His wit (he memorably compares the current transitional process to purgatory) and his training as a philosopher shine through (though he wears his learning lightly). His aphoristic, provocative but always entertaining analysis is richly garnered with metaphors and illustrative anecdotes that make what could have been a dry read a colourful pleasure.”—Martin Westlake, Literary Review
“This story [the European project] is well-described by Luuk van Middelaar in The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union. The author is an advisor to Herman van Rompuy, the first full-time president of the European Council. Middelaar’s book is a humorous, jargon-free and historically well-informed account of how the EU has developed."—Brendan Simms, Prospect Magazine.
“The book I most valued was Luuk van Middelaar’s The Passage to Europe, a brilliant account of the development of the European Union. The most insightful book on Europe since Larry Siedentop’s Democracy in Europe, and essential reading before voting in the referendum.”
—Vernon Bogdanor, Times Higher Education Supplement, Book of the Year
“The author, a senior EU official, combines inside knowledge with the insights of a philosopher . . . His discussion . . . is illuminating and remarkably readable.”—Roger Morgan, Times Higher Education Supplement
"The Passage to Europe is a book on European integration like no other: history, political theory, social science and constitutional law laid out in such a personal and compelling narrative that one does not perceive the depth of learning and experience underlying it. Students, politicians and anyone interested in European politics will profit from reading this book. There are few better ways to grasp how a continent became a Union."—Joseph H.H. Weiler, author of The Constitution of Europe: 'Do the New Clothes Have an Emperor?' and Other Essays on European Integration
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
