edited by Michael Dougan and Samantha Currie--------------------------------------------------------------- The essays which appear in this work are based on the papers presented at a two-day conference held in Liverpool in July 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome establishing the EEC. The collection reflects critically upon some of the EU's core characteristics and speculates imaginatively on the diverse challenges facing the EU in the future. Exploring the pressing contemporary problems facing Europe and throwing light on the big questions which will define the EU's identity in the medium term, the essays also draw out links with, and threats to, the historical achievements of European integration. For any scholar or practitioner interested in the nature of the constitutional relationship between the Union and its Member States and the tensions between economic and social policy objectives, these essays will be essential reading.