Book review : Anu Bradford, The Brussels effect : how the European Union rules the world (Oxford University Press 2020)

This piece is a book review of Anu Bradford's well known book "The Brussels Effect". The first part of the review summarises the main arguments presented in the book. The second part engages in some critical reflections prompted by these arguments. Overall, Bradford develops a convincing narrative about why EU regulation matters and how it affects everyday lives of worldwide citizens. According to this narrative, EU actions and preferences ultimately shape the global business environment. Significantly, these preferences do not reflect only the choices of EU institutions, but also those of EU consumers, who assume an active role in setting global norms and standards.