Jaarrapport Europese Unie 2004 is leesbaarder dan voorgaande rapporten (en)

An overview of the past year: "The General Report on the activities of the European Union 2004", published this week by the European Commission, is part of a new drive for better communication.

"We have a duty to tell Europeans in a simple and understandable way about the work done by the European Union and its institutions, and the General Report should play a role in that. This year sees the introduction of a simpler and more readable document which is a first step in that direction", said President José Barroso this week on the publication of the 2004 edition of the report which the Treaties ^[1] require the Commission to submit each year.

To make it easier for most people to read, the report this year takes the form of a one-hundred-page summary of the Union's main achievements in 2004. It gives an overview which highlights key events and trends and shows how the institutions have gone about achieving the main political objectives of the Union.

For specialised readers, a separate volume provides the rest of the detailed information on a sector-by-sector basis.

These documents can be consulted online at the Europa server http://europa.eu.int/abc/doc/off/rg/en/welcome.htm , or purchased from the Office for Official Publications or its sales offices.

^[1] Article 212 of the EC Treaty and Article 125 of the EAEC Treaty.