Resources in the libraries
EU Archival Collection at University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh has been an EU depository library since 1975, meaning that it has received a significant portion of the "official" documents published by the EU during that time. These documents are listed in the electronic catalog Pittcat. The most complete EU depository library in North America has always been at the Delegation of the European Commission to the US, Washington, DC. The Delegation library received a complete collection of public EU official documents and publications from 1952 to 2007, including many items not received by the 56 other depository libraries in the US. The Delegation recently donated this entire collection to the University Library System (ULS), University of Pittsburgh. This collection includes paper copies of virtually all primary documents listed below in this section.
The Official Journal of the European
Communities
The Official Journal of the European Communities contains almost every official document produced by the institutions of the EU.
The most recent issues are available at EUR-Lex.
In addition, the following issues are available in hardcopy at the University of Pittsburgh:
Law Library, International Law Collection
Years: 1991-today (Vol. 46-current)
Earlier issues can be requested from storage.
Search in PittCat for more information on where to locate these items.
For more details on the Official Journal, visit http://publications.europa.eu/index_en.htm
Before you set out to look for a document published in the Official Journal, it is important to read the following:
The Official Journal is divided into two series. Each one contains a different type of EU documentation. When you search for a specific document, make sure that you look in the appropriate series. The name of the series is clearly indicated in the official journal website and on the back of the volumes in the hardcopy version. Below are short descriptions of the two series.
L Series: LEGISLATION
This series contains the different types of EU laws:
- regulations
- directives
- decisions
- recommendations
- opinions
- founding Treaties and their amendments
Below is one way to cite documents which appear in this series:
[Document title], O.J. L [Issue Number] of [publication date]
Example: Council Regulation (EC) No 1805/2003, O.J. L 265 of 16 October 2003
For more information on how to cite the Official Journal as well as other official documents, see the Official EU document citation manual.
C Series: INFORMATION AND NOTICES
This series contains official documents of the EU that do not constitute legislation: |
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summaries of judgments of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance |
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minutes of parliamentary meetings |
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reports of the Court of Auditors |
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parliamentary written questions and answers from the Council or Commission |
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statements from the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions |
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competition notices for recruitment by the EU |
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calls for expressions of interest for EU programs and projects |
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other documents published pursuant to Community legislation |
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public contracts for food aid, etc. |
Below is one way to cite documents which appear in this series:
[Document title], O.J. C [Issue Number] of [publication date]
Example: European Court of Auditors-Annual Reports Concerning the Financial Year 2004, O.J. C 207 of 30 November 2005
For more information on how to cite the Official Journal as well as other official documents, see the Official EU document citation manual.
Attention! When you search for primary documents, keep in mind that in a date Europeans put the day first and the month follows. For example, they would write 3/9/2003 for September 3, 2003, NOT 9/3/2003.
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The General Report on the Activities of the European Union
The General Report on the Activities of the European Union is an annual publication. It is published every February and contains information on the main activities of the E.U. during the previous year. The Hillman and Law libraries own copies of the General Report between 1994 and today. Search in PittCat for information on where to locate this publication. The latest Reports can also be accessed online by visiting:
http://europa.eu/generalreport/en/welcome.htm
Before 1993, the Report was published under the title General Report on the Activities of the European Communities. Copies of this earlier title between 1968 and 1993 are available in the Hillman and Law libraries.
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The Bulletin of the European Union
The Bulletin of the European Union is a monthly publication, which supplements the General Report. It contains more details than the General Report on the activities of the E.U. The Hillman and Law Libraries own copies of the Bulletin from 1994 until today. Search in PittCat for information on where to locate this publication. The most recent Bulletins can also be accessed online through the following URL: http://europa.eu/bulletin/en/welcome.htm
Before 1993, the Bulletin was published under the title Bulletin of the European Communities. Copies of this earlier title between 1968 and 1993 are available in the Hillman and Law libraries.
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European Parliament
Documents
Texts adopted by the European
Parliament between 1985 and 1997 are available in
microform on the ground floor of Hillman
Library. More recent Parliamentary questions are available on EUR-Lex. The European Parliament website also includes many documents.
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European Commission
Documents (COM and SEC documents)
COM and SEC documents (named after their bureaucratic code) are published by the European
Commission. They are released when new legislation is being debated, and
they contain the positions of the Commission in relation to specific
policy issues. In addition, they include information on how other
institutions involved in the decision-making process of the EU feel
about these policy issues, and how the Commission reacts to these other
views. Given the central position the Commission has in EU policy-making
(it is the initiator of EU legislation and a significant player in the
making of EU laws in general) these documents provide an invaluable
glimpse into the making of EU rules and, consequently, into EU
policy-making.
You can find all the COM and SEC documents published
between 1983 and 2001 in microform on the ground floor of Hillman Library. The most recent ones
are available online at EUR-Lex in pdf or html format.Also, the Archive of European Integration contains many COM and SEC documents (at Browse, thenEU Document Number).
Note that COM and SEC documents are cited in a
different way from academic journal articles and publications. Here is
the standard citation for COM documents:
COM (year)
[document number] of [date of publication]
Example: COM (2002) 0713 of
11/12/2002
For more information on how to cite COM, SEC and other
official documents, see the Official
EU document citation manual.
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EuroCat
http://www.library.pitt.edu/articles/database_info/eurocat.html
EuroCat is a database, which contains citations to all
the documents published by the Office of Official Publications of the
European Communities between 1985-1999, plus pre-1985 Official Journal L series. On the University Library System homepage, click
on Databases A-Z and then choose EUROCAT from the list of database
names. You can access this catalog only when you are physically
located in Hillman Library. You can't access this database from
an other on- or off-campus location.
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Official EU Document Citation
Manual
EU
Citation Manual
Citing official EU documents needs special attention,
because the citations of these documents must include information which
is not required for standard academic journal articles and books. The
Fordham International Journal has prepared an official EU document
citation manual. It can be accessed in hardcopy in Fordham International
Law Journal, Vol. 23 (1999-2000), pages 935-958 or online for Pitt users
at EU
Citation Manual.
Just like all other online library resources, you need to be connectd to the Pitt network in order to access the manual. You have access to the network, either by using a computer on campus (e.g. residence halls, computer labs, Pitt WiFi) or, if you are at an off-campus location, through the Pitt web portal.
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Online Resources
European Parliament
Fact-sheets
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/facts/default_en.htm
For those who are in the very beginning of researching
an EU-related topic, the European Parliament fact-sheets can be a
valuable source of basic information on the policies
and activities in which the EU is involved.
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EUR-Lex
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm
EUR-Lex is the primary database on European Law, including preparatory acts, legislation in force, case law, etc.
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Archive of European
Integration
http://aei.pitt.edu/
Hosted by
the University of Pittsburgh Library System, the Archive of European
Integration (AEI) is a major resource both for primary EU documents and
secondary literature on the EU.
As as source of EU documents it can be used as complimentary
to EUR-Lex.
The AEI contains historic documetns that are not available at EUR-Lex.
Please, note that the Archive is still under construction
and numerous documents are continuously added.
Primary EU documents in the AEI include official
reports and working papers prepared by European Union institutions, such
as the European Parliament and the European Commission.
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EUROPA: the main European Union web
portal
http://europa.eu/
This is the official online portal of the European
Union. The site functions as a gateway to a vast amount of information
and documentation on the EU and its activities. However, many of its
users often complain that locating specific information through it may
be a bit difficult and complicated. In order to make the
navigation of the site easier, we recommend that you use the A-Z directory on the EU
Commission Delegation Website. The different terms on this directory
are listed in alphabetical order. By clicking on them you are directed
to the relevant page on the EU server.
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European Commission
Directorates Generals
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs_en.htm
Directorate Generals (DGs) are European Commission
departments, each one of which is assigned with the handling of a
specific policy area. The DG websites contain documents in pdf or html
format that have been released recently, as well as background
information on the policies in which the EU is active.
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Council of the European
Union (Council of Ministers)
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?lang=EN
For those whose research interests include the Common
Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the of the European Union, as well
as the activities of its member states in Justice and Home Affairs, the
Council website is a great source of recent documents and speeches. The
webpage that contains links to the official documents produced by the
Council may be of particular interest. Click here to
access it.
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Eurostat
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
EUROSTAT is the statistical agency of the EU. Its
website contains an abundance of statistical information on a wide
range of topics, including but not limited to economics, social
indicators and public opinion.
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Archi Dok - Mannheim EDC Project
http://archidok.uni-mannheim.de/en/
This is a project which "focuses on a systematic cataloguing of relevant, electronic texts published on the web sites of the organs and institutionsof the European Union." Most documents present are 2000-on.
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EU Bookshop
http://bookshop.europa.eu
The EU Bookshop contains thousand of documents, most published since 2000, arranged by themes or policy areas. To search by policy areas, click on "By Theme", then select policy area.
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European Commission
Delegation in the United States
http://www.eurunion.org/
This is the website of the "embassy" of the European
Commission to the United States. The site contains a large number of
useful information and it is quite easy to navigate. A particularly
useful feature is the A-Z Index, in
which EU related topics are listed in alphabetical order.
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Other Guides to EU Official
Documents
Boston
University Law Library
Columbia
University Law School Library
Harvard University Law Library
Law Library Resource
Exchange
New York
University Law Library
University of Leiden Law
University
of Texas at Austin Law Library
University of
Pittsburgh Braco Law Library
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Research Aids
