Despite all the talk about the Mad Cow Crisis, John Major’s Euroscepsis, Tory‐backbench Europhobia and a new referendum on Britain’s future in Europe, the number of reference sources on the European Union (EU) is still growing fast and, to make a quite superfluous observation, will continue to grow fast given the growth of the Union in membership as well as in depth. One of the principal benificiaries and contributors to this European information overflow is the University of Aberdeen’s professor of politics, Derek Urwin. In three of the five reference sources here under review, Urwin figures prominently as principal author or important contributor.
His Dictionary of European History and Politics 1945‐1995 provides a straightforward A‐Z listing of the most significant features of post‐war European (not necessarily European Union‐related) political history, including four categories: events and issues, territories, organizations and individuals. Entries generally do not exceed ten lines and provide only the most elementary information. The dictionary lacks an index, but cross‐references have been included throughout, enabling the reader to relate events and issues more readily with each other. The overlap between this dictionary and Urwin’s 1994 Historical Dictionary of European Organizations (RR, 95/297) is considerable. Most of the entries of the historical dictionary figure in a slightly modified form also in the new dictionary, and what is added in the latter (more biographical information and more on eastern and central Europe) is readily available elsewhere.
Urwin has also contributed a thoroughly cross‐referenced A‐Z of the European Union to the second edition of The European Union Encyclopedia and Directory 1996, published by Europa Publications. Especially in its listing (and explanation) of all the acronyms used by the Brussels‐, Luxembourg‐ and Strasbourg‐based European bureaucracies, this version of Urwin’s A‐Z is very helpful. Urwin’s consistency is validated by his entry on the former Dutch prime minister, Ruud Lubbers. In both publications, Lubbers served as prime minister, at least according to Urwin, only from 1982 to 1986 and from 1989 to 1994. However, also in the intervening years, 1986‐1989, Lubbers headed the Dutch Government.
Urwin’s A‐Z is only one of the four major sections of the European Union Encyclopedia and Directory. The other three sections are seven specially commissioned articles on the state of European integration; a directory of the European Union giving, where appropriate, addresses, telephone, telex and fax numbers of all the institutions and principal officers of the Union; and an extensive statistical survey providing demographic, industrial, financial and other data which enable comparison between countries and for the EU as a whole. Again, an index is lacking but Europa Publications’ name otherwise guarantees a volume of reliable, up‐to‐date and invaluable information as well produced as ever.
Urwin’s third contribution to the latest wave of European Union‐related reference volumes is the first (of 22) chapters in The European Union Handbook edited by Philippe Barbour. This introduction to the EU for the general reader and student alike concentrates on the way the EU has developed out of the European Communities. Under four main headings (History and Context; Politics; Economics; Law and Society), specialist contributors deal in essays of ten to 20 pages with the principal issues facing the EU after the conclusion of the Maastricht Treaty of European Union in 1991. Urwin deals, very competently, with the history of the uniting of western Europe, providing at the end of his essay (as all other contributors also do) a list of further reading suggestions with annotations. Five appendices (a chronology of European integration; a glossary; short biographies of the principal European personalities; a list of member state representation; and an annotated bibliography) and a comprehensive index make up this handbook. Urwin’s invisible hand is again very visible in the short biography of Ruud Lubbers: he still is not prime minister in the 1986‐1989 period. Not suitable for the reference shelves, this volume will find its natural way into the reading lists of many courses on European integration throughout the EU.
The final two volumes here under review can well do without Urwin’s contribution Both the Euro Who’s Who (the biographical complement to the Yearbook of the European Union and of the other European Organizations) and INSTI CONTACT. Who Does What? will guide citizens of the European Union to those who decide (more and more) their future. The Euro Who’s Who (this is the fifth edition) is a traditional A‐Z biographical dictionary including the biographies of senior civil servants currently working in European integration‐related organizations. The length of the entries varies dependent on the information provided by each individual, the minimum being his or her office address.
INSTI‐CONTACT lists all individuals presently employed by the EU with their individual responsibilities, address code, and telephone and fax numbers. The guide consists of eight sections with each section having an index on keywords and on officials. Although the editors observe in their foreword quite rightly that the Union’s institutions are in perpetual evolution and that “numerous individuals change position every week, new officials are appointed and others leave their postings for good”, this is an excellent guide to penetrate even the more obscure corners of the European bureaucracy.
In conclusion, libraries already having Urwin’s Historical Dictionary of European Organizations on their reference shelves will not be in great need to acquire the Dictionary of European History and Politics as well (but, given its price, students will probably be very interested). Europa’s The European Union Encyclopedia and Directory 1996 is something of a “must‐buy” for each self‐respecting reference department. The Euro Who’s Who is probably more of interest to the academic community than INSTI‐CONTACT. The latter caters more to the needs of businesses and lobbyists than to those of researchers and students. Finally, The European Union Handbook is unsuitable for the reference shelves, but its market is guaranteed.
