Based on detailed interviews she conducted with key EU officials and national ministers and her observations at council sessions, Philippa Sherrington provides a much-needed analysis of the most crucial of European Union institutions and makes an original contribution to the debate on power and legitimacy in the EU. She presents a detailed account of the way in which business is really conducted in this most secret of institutions, demonstrating that the Council of Ministers remains the ultimate decision-maker in the EU. She draws on both policy analysis and negotiation theory to make her...