This book presents a fresh, concept-driven account of the EU's evolving constitutional order.

The book dissects EU constitutional law into foundational ideas, including direct effect, primacy, competence, autonomy, sincere cooperation and mutual trust, effectiveness, general principles, fundamental rights, and EU values and the rule of law.

Drawing on the EU Treaties as primary law, legislative practice as secondary law, and the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the book explains how ideas such as direct effect, primacy, competence, autonomy, and sincere cooperation have shaped European integration and defined the EU's supranational character. Each chapter distils a single idea into an accessible, clear unit, making the book ideal for students learning EU law for the first time and for lecturers designing weekly teaching and seminar blocks. Clear, intellectually stimulating and with an innovative structure, the book quickly gives readers the conceptual tools needed to understand how EU law actually manifests in the legal systems of all EU Member States.