"Europe" is confusing. It has been through several treaty revisions and changes of name - from European Economic Community or Common Market, to European Community and now European Union. Different bodies have similar names - the Council of Europe, the European Council, and the Council of Ministers. And relations between the various institutions are complex and opaque. The whole process is cloaked in technoratic jargon, acronyms and meaningless initials. Yet everyone knows that the EU is important. For the perplexed reader, this is the complete guide - from Charlemagne's Aachen to Bismark's Zollverein, via all the key modern-day institutions, people and ideas that anyone dealing with the E.U. is ever likely to come across. Written with wry wit and elegance, this is the perfect reference book on a subject of enduring interest and constant  topicality.