Book excerpt: One of the most common and strongest criticisms of the EU is that power is held by a select few who are unaccountable technocrats sitting in Brussels who without consultation formulate policies. A fresh and innovative new series, written by leading authorities, providing students and researchers with a concise analysis of key topics relating to the state of the European Union and its future development. Combining insights from the theoretical literature with brief institutional descriptions, each book in the series focuses on the key questions, 'Where does power lie?', 'What are the likely scenarios for development?', thereby enabling the reader to gain a better sense of the dynamic processes of politics at EU level.