This work invites readers in law, as well as those in political science, international relations, and similar disciplines to witness the fast growing emergence of a "new legal order": the law of the European Union (EU) and European Communities. Ever since its early founding through daring steps in the 1950s, Community law has gone through formidable and complex developments resulting from several enlargements and the expansion of the powers of the Communities. For reasons laid out in this book, the EU as a whole is now a field of major interest and study. This volume deals mostly with issues pertaining to the sovereignty of the member states engaged in the construction of Europe. After presenting a history of the Communities and EU, Levasseur and Scott address topics such as the EU's constitutional principles, its institutions, the sources of law, the legal remedies available, and the relationship between Community law and national legal orders. Comparative law references have been added where appropriate. In addition, this work examines the EU's defense policies and the special relations between the EU and the USA.