Payment and securities settlement systems in the European Union (Blue Book, June 2001)

On 29 June 2001 the European Central Bank (ECB) released to the public a report entitled 'Payment and securities settlement systems in the European Union', also known as the 'Blue Book'. It describes the major payment and securities settlement systems operating in the Member States of the European Union (EU). The first such report was published in 1992 and described the systems which existed in the then 12 countries of the European Community. The second edition, published in 1996, gave an overview of the systems operating in the 15 countries of the European Union. The present third edition updates this information, taking into account the fundamental changes which have taken place since the introduction of the euro on 1 January 1999.