This book investigates how the daily interactions of bureaucrats, interest groups, and policymakers shape the trajectory of European integration beyond formal treaty negotiations. Laura Cram, a scholar of European politics, utilizes a framework that shifts focus from high-level state diplomacy to the incremental, functional expansion of institutional authority. By examining the micro-processes of policy formulation, she argues that the European Commission and the European Court of Justice exert significant influence over the scope of EU competence, often navigating around the resistance of national governments.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of European integration, particularly for its focus on the functionalist aspects of policy-making. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for students and researchers of EU institutional dynamics.