Europe wanted freedom, but it created forms. The single market was supposed to facilitate investment-but anyone who wants to do business in the European Union today has to fight their way through a thicket of regulations, directives, and conflicting jurisdictions. "Investing Despite the EU" tells the story of a good idea that got bogged down in bureaucracy. It shows how European regulations discourage investors, slow down innovation, and steer capital into bureaucratic dead ends-and why many founders spend more time filling out forms than working on their products. Using concrete examples from across Europe, the book analyzes how the EU became a master of regulation-and how this affects the economy, entrepreneurship, and social progress. But it doesn't stop at criticism: it also shows ways in which successful investment is possible despite all the hurdles and calls for a new European pragmatism - less paperwork, more trust, less control, more courage. A keenly observed, intelligent and at the same time hopeful book about what is perhaps the greatest challenge facing the European economy: regaining faith in its own entrepreneurial spirit. Bremen University Press has published over 5,000 specialist books in various languages since 2005.