The European Union’s obsession with legislation is usually taken as a sign of weakness – a foil to the pyrotechnic might of the US military machine. But take a closer look: the bureaucrats in Brussels have been busy creating a new political space that has the power to make the 21st century the European century. The EU’s geographical expansion to 25 countries, is nothing compared with its increasing legal and moral reach. The 80.000 pages of laws the EU has developed since the common market was formed in 1957 – influencing from genetic labeling to human rights – have made Europe the world’s first viral political space, spreading its authority in three innovative ways... [+]