This new text in the Law in Focus series offers a distinctive focus on the public, constitutional law of the EU, treating this not as a set of formalist procedures, but relating it to underlying principles e.g. in terms of democracy, transparency , accountability and respect for individual rights.  The book incorporates a critical assessment of the institutions and constitutional law of the EU and the part they play in the democratic process, an investigation of the member states, and the political ramifications of this relationship.  An overriding objective of the book is to present EU law as a rather more exciting and engaging subject than often presented, locating it much more in its historical and political context than other works.