The diaries are intended to hold up a mirror to both the internal and external workings of the European Union during a significant period of its development. The years 1992-2010 saw the creation of the single market, the introduction of the Euro, several revisions of the treaty including the proposal for a constitution, important new legislative and scrutiny powers for the European Parliament (EP), negative results in referendums held in France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, and the accession of 15 new member states. These years also brought numerous turbulent external events, including the tragedy of 9/11, the subsequent war in Iraq, the collapse of the Middle-East peace process, and the resulting tensions in relations between Europe and the US.The way the EU reacted to these events at the time helped to shape the EU as it is today.
These records provide an insider's view, from one particular perspective within the EP of what it was like to work for the EU during those years and how the EU related to its own citizens and to the media.
In parallel, given that much of this period coincided with the 13 years of Labour government in the UK under Tony Blair and later under Gordon Brown, the diaries also trace the evolution of British attitudes to Europe, on the basis of privileged access to ministers and senior government advisers in Downing Street and Whitehall.

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These notebooks were used by the depositor, David Harley as the primary sources for his book "Matters of Record - Inside European Politics: The Diaries of David Harley 1992-2010, John Harper Publishing, 2021