Welcome to the leading series of books on the European Parliament

Written by the Parliament’s former Secretary General, Julian Priestley, and by its head of web communications, Stephen Clark

And illustrated with more than 350 photographs

The authors take us to Brussels – Parliament’s boom town and now its major centre

Strasbourg – with its “special buzz” and “away from home” atmosphere

And Luxembourg – where the essential “back office” work goes on

We see the importance of the “national question”

And how agreement to get things done is built across national and ideological divides

We meet those who rarely agree with the consensus

And many of those who have loomed largest in the life and leadership of the Parliament

We learn how Parliament manages to function in 23 languages

How laws are made... and who has influence

We meet the “money men” who fought for decades for Parliament’s control of the budget

We learn about the role of the permanent officials, the group staffs, the advisers and assistants

And how the Parliament tells the world about itself

This is a book of insights and memories for those who already know the Parliament

And a fascinating and entertaining introduction to those who are new to it

In the words of Jacques Delors: “Readers will discover the workings of this institution ... and also the human drama ... this book will help you better understand this European adventure”

"A wonderful book", Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament