  We show that in the search of a unified mean field description of finite
nuclei and of nuclear and neutron matter even at high densities, the
relativistic nuclear model derived from effective field theory and density
functional theory methods constitutes a competitive framework. The model
predicts a soft equation of state, owing to the additional meson interaction
terms, consistently with the results of the microscopic
Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory and recent experimental observations from
heavy ion collisions. In finite systems, after inclusion of the pairing
correlations, the model is able to describe both stable and exotic nuclei. We
address two examples at the limits of the nuclear landscape. On the one hand,
we analyze the giant halo effect and the isoscalar giant monopole resonance in
very neutron-rich Zr isotopes. On the other hand, we discuss the structure of
superheavy nuclei with double shell closures.
