Subject: European Union Basics (FAQ), Part 1/8
Supersedes: <european-union/basics/part1_816804688@rtfm.mit.edu>
Date: 11 Dec 1995 14:17:05 GMT
Expires: 15 Jan 1996 14:16:40 GMT
Summary: This file is part of an eight-part posting containing basic
  information about the European Union and other related or unrelated
  European political organisations. It is hoped to serve both as background
  information for those wishing to discuss European politics on the
  talk.politics.european-union newsgroup, and as a general reference for
  anyone concerned with politics in Europe.
X-Last-Updated: 1995/07/09
X-URL: http://www.vub.ac.be/SMIT/eubasics/index.html
Originator: faqserv@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu talk.politics.european-union:2851 eunet.politics:16534 alt.politics.ec:9038 alt.answers:14150 talk.answers:1109 news.answers:59684

Archive-name: european-union/basics/part1
Posting-Frequency: once every three weeks
Last-modified: 31 May 1995
Version: 2.1
URL: http://www.vub.ac.be/SMIT/eubasics/index.html


European Union Basics (FAQ) list

Version 2.1 of 31 May 1995. Posted regularly to talk.politics.european-union,
eunet.politics, alt.politics.ec, alt.answers, talk.answers and news.answers.
See <About this list> in the last part of this list for ways to retrieve the
most recent version or (better) read the HTML version mentioned above. There
you will find original accented characters not present in this text version.

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This file contains a list of basic questions and answers about the European
Union, edited by Roland Siebelink <rcsiebel@vub.ac.be>. I am the only person
responsible for the contents of this list, as writer or as editor of
contributions sent to me. Information mentioned in this file does not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the centre for Studies on Media,
Information and Telecommunication, or of Brussels Free University. There is
no official relationships whatsoever with any European institution.

Please note that although I try to ensure that everything mentioned in this
file is correct or, alternatively, clearly labeled as a personal opinion or
note from me or one of the contributors, there is no guarantee as to the
accurateness let alone objectivity of this file. If you think information is
incorrect or missing, send me corrections/additions/comments and I will
include them and your name in this list.

What's new in this version?

This version is just a minor update reflecting somme comments, corrections
and additions I received since the major update of March 20th. Readers who
have seen one of the 1.x versions but not the major update may look for
references to other European political resources on the Internet. These have
been removed from this FAQ, as there is now a much better alternative
written by Antero Aunesluoma of the University of Helsinki. The URL is
<http://www.helsinki.fi/~aunesluo/eueng.html>>

Table of Contents

   * General European Union Questions
        o What is the European Union or EU?
        o When did the EU come into being?
        o What countries are members of the EU?
        o Which are the languages of the EU?
        o How come the flag has only twelve stars?
   * Questions about the European Parliament
        o How is the European Parliament composed?
             + Direct universal elections
             + General composition
             + PES/Group of the Party of European Socialists
             + EPP/European People's Party (Christian-Democrats)
             + ELDR/Group of the European Liberal, Democratic and Reformist
               Party
             + GUE/Confederal Group of the United Left - Northern Green Left
             + FE/Forza Europa Group
             + EDA/Group of the European Democratic Alliance
             + GRN/Green Group in the European Parliament
             + ERA/Group of the European Radical Alliance
             + EN/Europe of Nations Group
             + NI/Non-attached members
        o What are the powers of the European Parliament?
        o Who is the President of the European Parliament?
        o Where can I find the European Parliament on the net?
             + Email connectivity
             + Databases and infosystems
   * Questions about the European Commission
        o General information
        o The Directorates-General of the Commission
        o Who is the President (chairman) of the European Commission?
        o Where can I find the European Commission on the net?
             + Email connectivity
             + Databases and infosystems
   * Councils representing the Member StatesO Governments
        o What is the Council of Ministers?
             + Composition of the Council of Ministers
             + Council decisions and secrecy
        o What is the European Council?
        o Who is the President of the (European) Council?
   * Other important EU institutions
        o What is the European Court of Justice?
        o What is the Court of Auditors?
        o What is the Economic and Social Committee?
        o What is the Committee of Regions?
        o What is the European Monetary Institute?
   * What is the difference between the European Union and...
        o The European Community?
        o The Common Market?
        o The Council of Europe?
        o The Western European Union?
        o The European Free Trade Association/European Economic Area?
        o The North American Free Trade Agreement?
   * About the European Union Basics (FAQ)
        o Where to get the most recent version of this file
             + Original hypertext version
             + Text only (ISO-8859-1) version
        o Author, contributors and sources

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Last modifications on 31 May 1995. Edited by Roland Siebelink; corrections
and suggestions welcome.

--
Roland Siebelink <rcsiebel@vub.ac.be>


