This text covers many aspects of the EU, from its political structure and history to its statistical features and its members. It looks at its various policies and problems. It covers: the political structure and hist ory of the EU; statistical features of the EU and its members; the economic theory of preferential trading areas; Monetary Union and a European Central Bank; the Community Budget and the problem of budgetary imbalance; the Common Agricultural Policy; social policies; competition policy; industrial policy; transport policy; environmental policies; the problem of regional disparities; trade with the rest of the world; and economic assistance to the developing world.