Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU member nations competed for the title of European Champion.

Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

The corresponding competition for non-European skaters was the 1999 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

In 1999, the European Championships were held at the Prague Sports Hall in Prague, Czech Republic from January 24 through 31, 1999.

Due to the large number of participants, the men's and ladies' qualifying groups were split into groups A and B. Berezhnaya / Sikharulidze withdrew due to the flu.