The European Union encyclopedia and directory 1999. 3rd edition

The European Union encylopedia and directory 1999. 3rd edition:

This is the third edition of Europa Publications' wide-ranging directory. Information often available from a number of separate sources has been brought together in one volume that provides reference information, statistics and introductory text on many aspects of the European Union.

There is an initial section giving abbreviations, a chronology, a map and diagrammatic representations of the decision-making procedures. The first main section, an A-Z of the European Union, provides concise and factual information on the institutions and their operation, Member States, key players in the formation and development of the Union, and relevant countries and organisations. This includes brief details and history of dealings with the EU on those countries that have applied for membership. The A-Z section also explains a large number of widely used acronyms and terms.

The second section, Essays on the European Union, gives more detailed information on the political, legal and social frameworks, economic integration, the external affairs of the Union, and European Union beyond the Maastricht and Amsterdam treaties. All the essays are written by UK academics (as has the A-Z section) and have been revised and updated for this edition. A new essay deals with enlargement of the Union.

The third section, Directory of the European Union, provides quick reference information. For each large institution, such as the Council and Parliament, it gives the address, telephone, fax, email and Internet address, together with details on principal officers and their areas of work. For other major institutions it gives the contact information together with the names of heads of departments. It also contains summaries of treaties of major importance in the formation of the EU and details of pan-European trade, industrial, professional and consumer organisations. There is also a brief listing of information sources, which concentrates on relevant databases, including the name of the database, a brief description and a web address where available. This section also includes a list of agents responsible for distributing EU publications and online products.

The book concludes with an extensive Statistical Survey of the European Union, which is sourced from the CRONOS database compiled by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) and from the publication Basic Statistics of the European Union. It includes sections for demographic, agricultural, industrial, trade, financial, transport, tourism, health, environment and education figures. The statistics are for a range of years, with most tables giving three years of data up to 1995, 1996 or 1997. They cover each member state, and often a total for the fifteen EU members.

The book succeeds in its aim to be a basic, one-stop reference source to the European Union, answering both quick factual enquiries and requirements for introductory information.