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Area: 83 870 km2
Population: 8 174 762
Capital: Vienna
Official language: German
Currency: euro
National holiday: 26 October (end of occupation and 1955 vote on permanent neutrality)
Republic of Austria
Federal Republic. Composed of 9 Länder. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1920, amended in 1929
President: Heinz Fischer
Chancellor: Wolfgang Schüssel
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Dr Ursula Plassnik
Nationalrat: National Council, 183 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Bundesrat: Federal Council, 63 members elected for five or six years by the diets of the 9 Länder.
Women in Parliament: 33.9%
Per capita GDP: EUR 26 141 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 30 528 km2
Population: 10 348 276
Capital: Brussels
Official languages: Flemish, French, German
Currency: euro
National holiday: 21 July (accession to the throne of Leopold I in 1831)
Kingdom of Belgium
Constitutional Monarchy. Federal State. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1831, amended nine times.
King: Albert II
Prime Minister: Guy Verhofstadt
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Karel de Gucht
House of Representatives: 150 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Senate: 71 members, 40 of whom elected for four years, 21 appointed by the local authority councils and 10 senators co-opted.
Women in Parliament: 35.3%
Per capita GDP: EUR 24 967 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 9 251 km2
Population: 775 927
Capital: Nicosia
Official languages: Greek and Turkish
Currency: Cypriot pound
National holiday: 1 October (independence in 1960)
Republic of Cyprus
Member of the Commonwealth
Constitution of 1960
President: Tassos Papadopoulos
Minister for Foreign Affairs: George Lacovou
Chamber of Deputies: 83 members elected for five years by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 10.7%
Per capita GDP: EUR 18 177 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 78 866 km2
Population: 10 278 200
Capital: Prague
Official language: Czech
Currency: Czech koruna
National holiday: 28 October (1918 Republic)
Czech Republic
Parliamentary Republic.
Constitution of 1992
President: Václav Klaus
Prime Minister: Jiri Paroubek
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Cyril Svoboda
Chamber of Deputies: 200 members elected for four years by universal suffrage
Senate: 81 members elected for six years by universal suffrage, one-third renewable every two years.
Women in Parliament: 17%
Per capita GDP: EUR 14 156 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 43 094 km2
Population: 5 413 392
Capital: Copenhagen
Official language: Danish
Currency: Danish krone
National holiday: 5 June (most recent amendment of the Constitution, allowing women to accede to the throne in 1953).
Kingdom of Denmark
Constitutional Monarchy. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1849, amended three times.
Queen: Margrethe II.
Prime Minister: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Per Stig Moller
Parliament: 179 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 38%
Per capita GDP: EUR 26 926 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 45 226 km2
Population: 1 341 664
Capital: Tallinn
Official language: Estonian
Currency: Estonian kroon
National holiday: 24 February (independence in 1918)
Republic of Estonia
Parliamentary Republic. Presidential system.
Constitution of 1992
President: Arnold Rüütel
Prime Minister: Andrus Ansip
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Urmas Paet
Parliament: 101 members elected for five years by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 18.8%
Per capita GDP: EUR 8 996 (iin 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 338 145 km2
Population: 5 214 512
Capital: Helsinki
Official languages: Finnish and Swedish
Currency: euro
National holiday: 6 December (independence in 1917)
Republic of Finland
Parliamentary Republic. Presidential system.
Constitution of 1919
President: Tarja Halonen
Prime Minister: Matti Vanhanen
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Erkki Tuomioja
Diet (Eduskunta) (Parliament): 200 members elected for four years by proportional universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 37.5%
Per capita GDP: EUR 24 273 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 547 030 km2
Population: 60 424 213
Capital: Paris
Official language: French
Currency: euro
National holiday: 14 July (Storming of the Bastille in 1789)
French Republic
Semi-presidential system.
Constitution of 1958
President: Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister: Dominique de Villepin
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Philippe Douste-Blazy
National Assembly: 577 members elected for five years by universal suffrage.
Senate: 321 members elected for six years by indirect universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 12.2%
Per capita GDP: EUR 24 465 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 357 021 km2
Population: 82 100 000
Capital: Berlin
Official language: German
Currency: euro
National holiday: 3 October (reunification in 1990)
Federal Republic of Germany
Federal Republic. Composed of 16 Länder. Parliamentary system.
Basic Law of 1949, amended in 1990.
President: Horst Köhler
Chancellor: Gerhard Schröder
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Joschka Fischer
Bundestag: 672 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Bundesrat: Federal Council, 68 members appointed by the governments of the 16 Länder.
Women in Parliament: 32.2%
Per capita GDP: EUR 23 455 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 131 957 km2
Population: 10 647 529
Capital: Athens
Official language: Greek
Currency: euro
National holiday: 25 March (independence in 1821)
Greek Republic
Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1975
President: Konstantin Stephanopoulos
Prime Minister: Costas Karamanlis
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Petros Molyviatis
Chamber of Deputies (Vouli): 300 members with a four-year term of office, 288 elected by universal suffrage and 12 appointed by the parties (state deputies).
Women in Parliament: 14%
Per capita GDP: EUR 15 682 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 93 036 km2
Population: 10 068 000
Capital: Budapest
Official language: Hungarian
Currency: forint
National holiday: 20 August (St Stephen’s Day)
Hungarian Republic
Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1990
President: Laszlo Solyom
Prime Minister: Ferenc Gyurcsany
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Ferenc Somogy
National Assembly: 386 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 9.8%
Per capita GDP: EUR 12 017 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 70 282 km2
Population: 3 969 558
Capital: Dublin
Official languages: English and Gaelic
Currency: euro
National holiday: 17 March (St Patrick’s Day)
Republic of Ireland
Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1937, amended in 1972.
President: Mary McAleese
Prime Minister: Bertie Ahern
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Dermot Ahern T.D
National Assembly: 166 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Senate: 60 members, 11 appointed by the Prime Minister, 43 by socio-professional organisations and six representatives of the universities.
Women in Parliament: 13.3%
Per capita GDP: EUR 27 475 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 301 270 km2
Population: 58 057 447
Capital: Rome
Official language: Italian
Currency: euro
National holiday: 2 June (Day of the Republic, 1946)
Italian Republic
Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1947
President: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Prime Minister: Silvio Berlusconi
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Gianfranco Fini
Chamber of Deputies: 630 members elected for five years by direct universal suffrage.
Senate: 315 senators and senators by right (former presidents and 10 life senators appointed by the president).
Women in Parliament: 11.5%
Per capita GDP: EUR 23 382 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 64 589 km2
Population: 2 306 306
Capital: Riga
Official language: Latvian
Currency: lats
National holiday: 18 November (independence in 1918)
Republic of Latvia
Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1922
President: Vaira Vike-Freiberga
Prime Minister: Aigars Kalvītis
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Artis Pabriks
Parliament (Saeima): 100 members elected for four years by universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 21%
Per capita GDP: EUR 7 790 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 65 200 km2
Population: 3 607 899
Capital: Vilnius
Official language: Lithuanian
Currency: litas
National holiday: 16 February (independence in 1918)
Republic of Lithuania
Parliamentary system
Constitution of 1992
President: Valdas Adamkus
Prime Minister: Algirdas Brazauskas
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Antanas Valionis
Parliament (Seimas): 141 members elected by universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 10.6%
Per capita GDP: EUR 8 690 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 2 586 km2
Population: 448 300
Capital: Luxembourg
National language: Luxembourgish
Legislative language: French
Administrative languages: French, German, Luxembourgish
Currency: euro
National holiday: 23 June (Grand Duke's birthday)
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Constitutional monarchy.
Constitution of 1868
Grand Duke: Henri
Prime Minister: Jean-Claude Juncker
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Jean Asselborn
Chamber of Deputies: 60 deputies elected by proportional universal suffrage for five years.
Women in Parliament: 18.3%
Per capita GDP: EUR 45 310 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 316 km2
Population: 396 851
Capital: Valletta
Official languages: Maltese and English
Currency: Maltese lira
National holiday: 21 September (independence in 1964)
Republic of Malta
Parliamentary Republic. Member of the Commonwealth.
Constitution of 1964, amended three times.
President: Edward Fenech-Adami
Prime Minister: Lawrence Gonzi
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Michael Frendo
Chamber of Representatives: 65 members elected for five years by universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 9.2%
Per capita GDP: EUR 16 221 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 41 528 km2
Population: 16 318 199
Capital: Amsterdam
Official language: Dutch
Currency: euro
National holiday: 30 April (Queen’s Day)
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Constitutional Monarchy. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1814, amended in 1983.
Queen: Beatrix
Prime Minister: Jan Peter Balkenende
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Bernard Bot
States-General (Staten-Generaal): Parliament, 75 members elected for four years by the provincial States and 150 members elected by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 36.7%
Per capita GDP: EUR 26 455 (iin 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 312 685 km2
Population: 38 626 349
Capital: Warsaw
Official language: Polish
Currency: zloty
National holiday: 3 May (Constitution of 1791)
Republic of Poland
Parliamentary Republic.
Constitution of 1997
President: Aleksander Kwasniewski
Prime Minister: Marek Belka
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Adam Rotfeld
Diet: 460 members elected for four years by universal suffrage.
Senate: 100 members elected for four years by universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 20.2%
Per capita GDP: EUR 9 546 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 92 391 km2
Population: 10 524 145
Capital: Lisbon
Official language: Portuguese
Currency: euro
National holiday: 10 June (Camoes Day, anniversary of the poet’s death in 1580)
Portuguese Republic
Semi-presidential system.
Constitution of 1989
President: Jorge Sampaio
Prime Minister: José Socrates
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Diogo Freitas do Amaral
Parliament: 230 members elected for four years by direct universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 19.1%
Per capita GDP: EUR 16 514 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 49 036 km2
Population: 5 423 567
Capital: Bratislava
Official language: Slovak
Currency: Slovak koruna
National holiday: 1 September (1992 Constitution)
Slovak Republic
Parliamentary Republic.
Constitution of 1992
President: Ivan Gasparovich
Prime Minister: Mikulás Dzurinda
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Eduard Kukan
Assembly of the National Council: 150 members elected for four years by universal suffrage.
Women in Parliament: 19.3%
Per capita GDP: EUR 10 433 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 20 273 km2
Population: 2 011 473
Capital: Ljubljana
Official language: Slovene
Currency: tolar
National holiday: 25 June (independence in 1991)
Republic of Slovenia
Parliamentary Republic.
Constitution of 1991
President: Janez Drnovsek
Prime Minister: Janez Jansa
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Dimitrij Rupel
National Assembly: 90 members, 88 elected by direct universal suffrage for four years, with two seats reserved for the Italian and Hungarian minorities.
Council of State: 40 members elected for five years, divided into five groups of interests.
Women in Parliament: 12.2%
Per capita GDP: €15 84 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 504 782 km2
Population: 40 280 780
Capital: Madrid
Official languages: Spanish (Castilian), Catalan, Basque and Galician
Currency: euro
National holiday: 12 October (Hispanic Day)
Kingdom of Spain
Constitutional Monarchy. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1978
King: Juan Carlos
Prime Minister: José Luis Zapatero
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Miguel Angel Moratinos
Cortes (Parliament): lower chamber, 350 members elected for four years by universal suffrage.
Senate: 257 members elected for four years, 208 elected by universal suffrage and 49 appointed by the autonomous communities.
Women in Parliament: 36%
Per capita GDP: EUR 19 669 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 449 964 km2
Population: 8 986 400
Capital: Stockholm
Official language: Swedish
Currency: Swedish krone
National holiday: 6 June (day of the flag)
Kingdom of Sweden
Constitutional monarchy. Denominational State. Parliamentary system.
Constitution of 1975
King: Carl Gustaf XVI
Prime Minister: Göran Persson
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Laila Freivalds
Riksdag: 349 members, 310 elected by majority vote and 39 by proportional vote for three years.
Women in Parliament: 45.3%
Per capita GDP: EUR 24 78 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
Area: 244 820 km2
Population: 60 270 708
Capital: London
Official language: English
Currency: pound sterling
National holiday: no national holiday, but the Queen's birthday is celebrated (21 April)
United Kingdom
Constitutional Monarchy. Parliamentary system.
No written Constitution.
Queen: Elizabeth II
Prime Minister: Tony Blair
Minister for Foreign Affairs: Jack Straw.
House of Commons: 659 members elected for five years by universal suffrage.
House of Lords: currently 685 members, including two archbishops, 23 bishops and certain life peers appointed by the Prime Minister.
Women in Parliament: 17.9%
Per capita GDP: EUR 24 615 (in 2001 in purchasing power parities; source: Eurostat)
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