Subject guides: European Studies Languages and Cultures: European Union

Getting started?

European Union Offical website
Europa.eu
Europa.eu is the official website of the European Union. It is a good starting point if you are looking for information and services provided by the EU. It provides basic information on how the EU works; the latest EU news and events and links to EU information on the websites of EU institutions and agencies.
Summaries of European union Legislation
The Summaries cover the main aspects of European legislation and policies covering 32 topics.
Eurostat
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union providing statistics that enable comparisons between countries and regions.

Eur-Lex
EUR-Lex is the primary database for European Union law and legislation. It includes the Official Journal of the European Union, regulations, decisions, directives, treaties, consolidated versions of legislation, and judgments by the EU Court of Justice.
Official Journal of the European Union
The Official Journal was published for the first time on 30 December 1952. Since 1998, an electronic version has been made available on EUR-Lex with previous journals now being scanned and gradually uploaded.
Legislative Observatory (OEIL)
Database with references for procedures and documents of institutions involved in the inter-institutional legislative procedure relating to the work of the European Parliament.
European Union Libraries
Provides links to EU Libraries and Archive Resources.

Westlaw
From the main Westlaw page, use the "Search for a database" box in the left frame to search for the following Westlaw databases:

* European Union Legislation
* European Union Treaties

Council of the European Union
This is the main decision-making institution of the EU. It is made up of ministers from each member state. The Council passes laws jointly with the European Parliament. The council also negotiates international agreements and makes decisions on foreign and economic policy measures
European Commission
This institution proposes legislation to Parliament and the Council, administers and implements Community policies, enforces Community law (jointly with the Court of Justice) and negotiates international agreements.
European Parliament
The EU's parliamentary body is made up of of directly elected citizens of EU member states. Together with the Council, it constitutes the legislative branch of the institutions of the Union.
European Economic and Social Committee
European Economic and Social Committee is a consultative body of the European Union.