Non-subscription
European Union
Research
On the WebBy
Susan Phillips
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Commercial subscriptions
Lawtel: Thomson/Sweet & Maxwell
http://www.lawtel.com
Justis: Justis CELEX,compiled and operated by the European
Commission through the Office for Official Publications of the European
Communities, is a documentation system for European Union law that
is used by all EU institutions.
Coverage: 1951 – present
http://justis.com
Verify Site Authenticity
Use sites that are credible and accurate
a. Authorship: known and respected organization or individual
b. Date of page creation, update or version
Guides on EU Law:
Cornell:
European Union Law Information Resources by Charlotte Bynum (01/2001)
http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/guides/eu/eu.html
Guides on EU Law:
Cornell:
The Nuts and Bolts of European Law Research by Jean Wenger (Spring 1997)
http://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/library/guides/eu/main.html
Guides on EU Law:
Pittsburgh:
European Union Research Guides by Phil Wilkin (01/17/2000)
http://www.library.pitt.edu/subject_guides/westeuropean/wwwes/euguides.guide.html
Guides on EU Law:
The ABC of Community Law
Dr. Klaus-Dieter Borchardt
http://europa.eu.int/comm/publications/booklets/eu_documentation/02/txt_en.pdf
History of the EU:
The European Union is a unique, treaty-based, institutional framework that defines and manages economic and political cooperation among its
fifteen European member countries.
History of the EU:
In 1951, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands entered into the Treaty of Paris creating the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
History of the EU:
In 1957, another two communities, the European
Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Community (EURATOM) were established by
the Treaty of Rome.
History of the EU:
From the three came the European Union with the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht which
went into force in 1993.
EU saw further development with the Treaty of Amsterdam, 1999
took effect.
History of the EU:
Treaty of Nice was signed in 2000 and entered into force in 2003. Most of the institutional aspects will not take effect until
2005.
Institutions of the EU:
Commission
Council of the European Union
Parliament
European Court of Justice (ECJ)
Court of Auditors
European Central Bank
Institutions of the EU:
Commission
Administers the Union, engages in policy-making, and proposes laws to the Council of European
Union
Institutions of the EU:
Council of the European Union
Enacts laws proposed by the Commission
Institutions of the EU:
Parliament
Originally was consultative and had no authority to pass
legislation but through changes in treaties, it has an increased
role in law-making
Institutions of the EU:
European Court of Justice (ECJ)
“Supreme Court”--Entrusted with ensuring the correct interpretation
of the EU’s treaties
“Lower court”—Court of First Instance, created in 1988
Institutions of the EU:
Court of Auditors
Ensures the proper administration of the EU budget
Institutions of the EU:
European Central Bank
Together with its European System of Central Banks, is
responsible for monetary policy and the Euro
Primary law of the EU:
Treaties
Secondary Legislation:
Directives
Regulations
Decisions
Primary law of the EU:
Treaties
Can be found in a number of locations including:
Primary law of the EU:
Treaties
University of Glasgow
http://www.lib.gla.ac.uk/Depts/MOPS/EU/treaties.shtml
Primary law of the EU:
Treaties
Europa’s Eur-Lex
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/en/treaties/index.htm
Secondary Legislation:
Directives
Binding as to result achieved but specific implementation is left to
the member states
Secondary Legislation:
Regulations
General application and are binding on the member states
Secondary Legislation:
Decisions
Addressed to specific individuals, institutions or countries
Secondary Legislation:
Directives, Regulations & Decisions
Published in their official form in the European Union Official
Journal
Secondary Legislation:
Directives, Regulations & Decisions
European Union Official Journal
(OJ)
Official gazette of the Community, published daily
Secondary Legislation:
Directives, Regulations & Decisions
European Union Official Journal
Is divided into the following series:
L Series
C Series
Secondary Legislation:
Directives, Regulations & Decisions
European Union Official Journal
L Series contains adopted legislation including directives
and regulations
Secondary Legislation:
Directives, Regulations & Decisions
European Union Official Journal
C Series contains commission proposals for legislation (drafts), non-binding decisions, Minutes of
the Parliament and other information
Reading Citations:
1993 OJ L95/29
=
Page 29 in Issue L Series 95 in year 1993
Reading Citations:
Regulations
(EC) 2913/92
=
European Community regulation 2913 in year 1992
Recommended European Union Law Sites
Europa’s Eur-Lex
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/
Recommended European Union Law Sites
European Union in the US
http://www.eurunion.org
Recommended European Union Law Sites
UC Berkeley Library: European Union Internet Resources
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/gov_eu.html