Policy Making in the European Union takes a fresh view at attempts to conceptualize the process of European integration. It explores the impact of the day to day works of policy makers, interest groups and bureaucrats in influencing the environment in which treaty formulation and ratification are taken. It sheds new light on the wide range of policy areas in which institutions such as the Commission of the European Union and the European Court of Justice have succeeded in expanding the scope of European Union competence despite national government opposition. Policy Making in the European Union highlights the often neglected but crucial role of European institutions in understanding major constitutional decisions in the European Union.