This work investigates the inherent structural and political complexities that have defined the constitutional evolution of the European Union over the past two decades. Giuseppe Martinico, a scholar of comparative public law, utilizes a framework of constitutional theory to analyze the tension between integrationist goals and the reality of institutional conflict. By examining the period from 1992 to 2012, the author evaluates how constructivist and evolutionist theories explain the ongoing, often fragmented, development of European governance.

Experts in European law and political science recognize this text as a rigorous examination of the institutional hurdles facing the European Union. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and students of constitutional theory.