The essence of European Union law in one concise volume: Our textbook provides a quick yet profound overview of the EU‘s rules of construction and operation. The focus is on providing an understanding of the EU‘s ‘genetic pattern’ – its DNA in terms of the why, what and how of European integration. It clarifies, in particular, the concept of supranationality and its constitutive elements, the Union method, the hierarchy of norms in the EU legal system, the history of integration, the institutions, the distribution of competences and EU law-making, the system of legal protection as well as the enforcement of EU law and the impact on the legal systems of the Member States. A section outlining the substantive rules of EU internal market and competition law completes the introduction. Throughout, care is taken to ensure that all information is limited in scope and depth, yet carefully tailored to provide a thorough picture.