Increased exposure to UV radiation is known to have a significant effect on human health, ecosystems or crop production. The link between stratospheric ozone depletion and increased surface UV radiation is now established. Large increases in UV radiation have been observed in association with the ozone hole at high southern latitudes. A clear sign of the growing importance of gathering better information on the UV radiation is given by the emergence of a number of initiatives both at the national and international level. MAUVE (MApping of UV by Europe) is a pilot project supported by the European Commission in the 4th RandD Framework Programme. The project officially started on 1 December 1997, and will last for two years. The main objective of MAUVE is to establish maps of surface UV radiation, derived from satellite data, as a recognised source of information for a variety of users. This is achieved by (1) defining the UV map products together with the users, (2) producing 'pilot products' by customising and improving methodologies developed in the framework of several national projects, and (3) thoroughly assessing their quality and usefulness on the European scale using existing infrastructure and data sets.