The European Council is a key policy-making actor whose visibility has grown significantly since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and over the course of recent years and crises the EU has been confronted with. Major decisions taken by EU leaders on the future of European integration at numerous summits over the past few years have led some to argue that the EU has become more intergovernmental at the expense of the traditional ‘community method’. A new book entitled “National Leaders and the Making of Europe” (John Harper Publishing) challenges such binary thinking head-on by showing how the European Council has forged its own essential place in the EU system, straddling both worlds. This unique position as the EU’s top political level has enabled the European Council to respond effectively to many challenges over the years, such as taking decisive action to rescue the single currency. Written by a small group of serving and former officials, the book brings pivotal moments in the EU's recent history back to life.