Is 'Brussels' the remote and insensitive bureaucracy of popular mythology? The 'civil service' of the European Union is little known: this book provides an accessible account of its structures and their evolution; the administrative traditions on which they draw; and the selection, training and careers, lifestyle, and ethos of EU officials.

ANNE STEVENS is Professor of European Studies, Aston University. She is author of The Government and Politics of France and editor (with Richard Sakwa) of Contemporary Europe. HANDLEY STEVENS is Research Associate at the London School of Economics and Political Science.