Jacques Delors and European Integration: (Europe and International Order)

Jacques Delors has been the most successful President of the European Commission in the history of the European Community. The events of his time in Brussels may have constituted the best chance yet to create a new supranational order to consolidate European political and social arrangements. Jacques Delors and European Integration reconsiders the last decade of EC history, and the Maastricht period in particular, from the point of view of Delors's unfolding strategy. The book's remarkable data sources include the author's observations of the day-to-day work of the Commission under Delors and access to key personnel and documents. The author explores the ways in which Delors and his team tried to capitalize upon the complex openings in Europe's political opportunity structures from the mid-1980s. The "1992" programme to complete the Single Market galvanized European energies and contributed to renewed optimism. Maastricht and its sequels have proven less successful. Jacques Delors and European Integration follows processes around the Maastricht Treaty from inside, observing the complex system of European institutions at work. What kind of turning point will Maastricht turn out to be? The book attempts to reach a conclusion about what, in retrospect, will certainly be seen as one of the most daring experiments at transnational politics of modern times.

Table of Contents:
Preface. Introduction. 1. Prologue: Europe Comes Alive. 2. Inside the Berlaymont. 3. "After 1992" Begins. 4. Organizing European Space. 5. Reading the Non-Papers. 6. Turning Point - Onward or Downward?. 7. Last Sprint Towards European Union. Conclusions: The Delors Strategy at the End of the Day. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

Review :
'It is probably the most acute and intelligent "inside" story ever published about the functioning of the Commission ... It provides enough information and insights to feed the ... theoretical debates that have raged about the nature of the process of European integration.' French Politics and Society 'This is an interesting and surprising book, full of both theoretical analysis and well-observed anecdotal evidence ... A useful contribution to explaining what Delors and Delorism was and was not ... A fascinating book that deserves a place on any reading list on European integration.' Regional and Federal Studies 'The author has combined scholarly expertise with the knowledge and candour of a priviliged insider to produce an valuable analysis of Delors' decade in Brussels.' Modern and Contemporary France 'Little has been revealed or written about the personality of the man behind this revolutionary era and the brilliant team he assembled to implement his vision. Herein lies the value of this book. George Ross managed to gain unprecedented access to the inner workings of the commission and its senior bureaucrats, and frequently to Jacques Delors himself, for much of 1991. His book is a brilliant achievement. This book is a revelation for the detailed insights it provides into the inner workings of the commission and must be essential reading for any serious student of the EU. We should all be grateful to George Ross for having had the vision, and for having taken the time, to write it.' Progress in Human Geography 'This book will be particularly useful to both students and scholars of the politics and institutions of the European Union.' Political Studies