Encyclopedia of the European Union

Encyclopedia of the European Union:
This new encyclopedia sets out to be an authoritative and comprehensive reference work on the EU which will be invaluable for scholars, students, practitioners and lay readers alike. It provides in-depth, authoritative discussions of more than seven hundred concepts, issues, developments, institutions, policies, events, negotiations, treaties, national interests and personalities related to European integration.

Contributors are widely drawn from across the Member States and all the longer contributions are attributed. Entries vary from the lengthy, such as three pages on Mediterranean policy, four pages on telecommunications policy and five pages on justice and home affairs, to short paragraphs on subjects such as the Kangaroo Group, Fortress Europe and the CE mark.

Entries are arranged alphabetically and variations, such as alternate spellings and acronyms, are included. The entries also include extensive cross-references and bibliographic references point to sources for further research. The comprehensive index offers access to the information at the most detailed level. Also included is a list of abbreviations and acronyms and a chronology of events from Robert Schuman's historic declaration calling for the pooling of Franco-German coal and steel production in a new supranational organisation in 1950 to the European Council meeting in Cardiff in June 1998.

Several appendices are useful for quick reference. The overview of institutional change gives figures such as the number of Member States and number of commissioners over time. There is a breakdown of the latest number of votes and seats in the parliament for each Member State, and a list of the international security organisations to which each member belongs. Further appendices cover the rota of the presidency since 1958 and details of the summits of the heads of state since 1961. Finally there is a list of renumbered articles, titles and sections of the treaty establishing the European Community.

This volume is both a valuable quick reference source and also an introduction to the major issues, policies and concepts in the European Union from its inception to the current day.