Developments in European information issues: Networks and relays – Services – Products, October 1998

As the deadline of 1 January 1999 approaches and the pace quickens towards the introduction of the euro, this seems an appropriate time to draw together a selection of useful sources, both official and non-EU, on economic and monetary union to deal with the rising pressure of questions. Firstly, the obvious starting point is the official euro web site at http://europa.eu.int/euro/. This has expanded considerably since its introduction and now carries a wide range of helpful material. Details of the eleven participating Member States, the timetable for entry into force of the single currency, key texts, speeches and press releases have joined the illustrations of the bank notes and coins, the euro symbol and the countdown of days remaining. Available in full text is the Euro Papers series, also distributed in print, which looks at specificimp lications of the introduction of the new currency. Some papers, though not all, require Adobe Acrobat reader to view. Similarly, theInfEuro newsletter has been mounted in full colour facsimile. A selection of other relevant publications, such as the basic guide Talking about the euro, is also there in full text. Under the heading 'the euro and you', specific areas such as IT issues, citizens and consumers concerns, public administration, enterprise and finance are just some of the aspects addressed. A link to the Eurostat page on statistical indicators gives access to data such as convergence criteria.

The site also features Quest which is a regularly updated database of questions and answers on all aspects of the euro and economic and monetary union aimed at the European citizen. Part of the PRINCE information programme, it actively invites questions which will be incorporated into future updates. If you need the agreed exchange rates for the participating currencies this is one place to look. Available also on paper, CD ROM or diskette to interested organisations, it includes a table of contents, index and help section. The search engine, offering a full text search function, is on the Internet version only.