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All publications are available here in PDF format. The language versions are indicated by the respective language codes.
Hard copies: only a few publications are actually printed - in limited numbers. If you wish to have a hard copy, please write to info@ecb.europa.eu. "Online only" means that no hard copies are available at all.
Title: "The European Central Bank - History, role and functions" by Hanspeter K. Scheller (2004, 2nd revised edition: 2006)
Description: A comprehensive 200-page overview of the ECB from its inception in June 1998 until the present day. The author was a senior manager of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) and, until his retirement, of the ECB.
Contents: 1. EMU, the ECB and the euro. 2. Central banking in EMU: legal, institutional and organisational aspects. 3. ECB policies and Eurosystem activities. 4. The ECB and the European Community. 5. The ECB's involvement in international cooperation. 6. The ECB as a corporate entity: excerpts from the Treaty establishing the European Community, the Protocol on the Statute of the ESCB and of the ECB. Bibliography, glossary.
Languages: 2.2 MB, cs . da . de . el . en . es . fi . fr . hu . it . lv . pl . pt . sk . sl . sv
Hard copies available in DE and EN.
Title: "Price stability : Why is it important for you?"
Description: A 78-page, illustrated book on the importance of price stability, how it can be best achieved and how price stability supports sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the EU.
Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Money - a short history. 3. Importance of price stability. 4. Factors determining price developments. 5. The ECB’s monetary policy. Bibliography, glossary.
Languages: 4621 kb, cs . da . de . el . en . es . et . fi . fr . ga . hu . it . lt . lv . mt . nl . pl . pt . ro . sk . sl . sv
Hard copies available in all languages.
Title: "The monetary policy of the ECB" (Second edition, January 2004)
Description: Detailed 110-page description of the ECB’s monetary policy and its economic and institutional background.
Contents: 1. The institutional framework of the single monetary policy. 2. The economic and financial structure of the euro area. 3. The ECB’s monetary policy strategy. 4. Monetary policy implementation. 5. The conduct of monetary policy in the first years of the single monetary policy. Annex on the history of Economic and Monetary Union. Bibliography, glossary.
Languages: 1.1 MB, de . en . es . fi . fr . it . nl . pt . ru . sv
[Hard copies currently out of stock in all languages.]
Title: "ECB statistics: an overview" (April 2008)
Description: A unique record of all available ECB statistics.
Contents: 1. One source for ECB statistics. 2. New statistics and when? 3. Where can the statistics be found and how often are they produced? 4. Legal basis
Languages: 590 kb, en [Online only]
Title: "The implementation of monetary policy in the euro area: General Documentation on Eurosystem monetary policy instruments and procedures" (November 2008)
Description: Not exactly a beginners' book, this document presents the operational framework chosen by the Eurosystem for the single monetary policy in the euro area.
Contents: 1. Overview of the monetary policy framework. 2. Eligible counterparties. 3. Open market operations. 4. Standing facilities. 5. Procedures. 6. Eligible assets. 7. Minimum reserves.
Languages: 1052 kB, bg . cs . da . de . el . en . es . et . fi . fr . hu . it . lt . lv . nl . pl . pt . ro . sk . sl . sv .
Hard copies available in DE, EN, ES, FR and IT.
Title: "The European Central Bank, the Eurosystem, the European System of Central Banks" (April 2008, 2nd edition)
Description: 36-page brochure providing an introduction to central banking in the EU.
Contents: 1. The road to Economic and Monetary Union. 2. Structure and tasks. 3. Monetary policy. 4. The TARGET/TARGET2 system. 5. Euro banknotes and coins. 6. Banking supervision. Glossary.
Languages: 2.0 MB, bg . cs . da . de . el . en . es . et . fi . fr . ga . hu . it . lt . lv . mt . nl . pl . pt . ro . sk . sl . sv
Hard copies: available in DE, EN, FR and NL.
Title: "Special edition of the Monthly Bulletin". May 2008.
Description: A report on the first 10 years of the ECB and on the challenges ahead. Includes an annex with statistics comparing the EU, the US and Japan.
Contents: 1. The road to Economic and Monetary Union. 2. Structure and tasks. 3. Monetary policy. 4. The TARGET/TARGET2 system. 5. Euro banknotes and coins. 6. Banking supervision. Glossary.
Languages: 6.57 MB bg . de . en . es . et . fr . hu . it . lt . lv . nl . pl . pt . ro . sk . sl . sv
Hard copies: available in DE, EN, FR, IT.
Title: "How the euro became our money. A short history of the euro banknotes and coins"
Description: A 94-page, illustrated book on the development and introduction of the euro banknotes and coins.
Contents: 1. A decade in preparation; 2. Design; 3. Production; 4. Changeover; 5. Communication; 6. Security features of euro banknotes; 7. Current and future developments.