The social situation in the European Union 2003 (PDF) - Products Statistical Books

The Social Situation Report - published annually since 2000 - provides the most comprehensive overview of the social dimension in the European Union. It provides a holistic view of the population and its social conditions as a background to social policy development and contributes to the monitoring of developments in the social field across Member States. Furthermore, it establishes links to other Commission publications such as Employment in Europe, Industrial Relations in Europe and the Gender Equality Report. One special characteristic of this report is that it combines harmonised quantitative information with survey data on public opinion. In this way it acts as a reference document, with the perceptions and attitudes of people living in Europe added to the overall portrait of the social situation. This year the report focuses on analysis and research on the health of people living in the European Union. In addition, the report contains extensive statistical information at EU level, which provides a powerful tool for monitoring social developments over time.