constitution. Rather, the EU constitution is composed of a myriad of legal texts, case-law, and practice, and it is subject to continuous change (a 'moving target') and comprises several layers of integration with varying geographical scope. The book make sense of it all by focusing on what the authors perceive to be the essential features of the system, taking into account the profound changes which have taken place over the past 20 years. The EU has become much more than an internal economic market and has recently been active, even in areas such as immigration and third-country nationals, security and defense policy, and penal law and procedure. Rather than casting the reader adrift in a sea of institutional and procedural detail, the authors underline the essential values, principles, and objectives of the integration regime, as well as its basic normative structure and hierarchy. In this context, the decentralized nature of the EU is highlighted as an integral part of its constitutional make-up. Recurring themes running through the book include European citizenship, as well as fundamental rights and the rule of law. While stressing the basic values, principles, and objectives of the EU, the book also confronts the problems and challenges facing the EU and the gap which is often perceived between lofty ideals and harsh realities.

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