European Community law is firmly established as part of the law syllabus, yet as a subject of teaching and research in Britain it is barely fifteen years old. This unusual conjunction of accepted status and relative youth offers teachers and students of European Community law a great opportunity. Such is the possibility of exercising a potentially decisive influence on the development of European Community law, not only as an intellectually fascinating subject of study, but also as a significant element in the dominant ideologies and practices of the contemporary world. But how and where can we best devote our attention? In answering this question, we may choose to build or not on certain basic foundations. Two points are crucial, however, to the continued vitality of our common project: first, that we develop a more critical understanding of European Community law, and second, that we move in new directions.
