European Union Research Guide

Introduction

The University of Iowa Libraries has received publications from the European Union (and it's predecessor organizations) since the 1950s and has been an official depository since the 1960s. This guide is meant to provide users a means for identifying and locating information that is available in the collection or via the WWW. Most European Union print items can be located via the Library Catalog. Please stop by Main Library Information Desk or contact Brett Cloyd (brett-cloyd@uiowa.edu) if you have questions or need assistance with your European Union research questions.

European Union Gateway Eur-lex Eurostat EU Bookshop EU at a Glance

Background Information Directories Current Information Statistics Indexes and Bibliographies Primary Legislation: Treaties Secondary Legislation Policy Background Documents European Parliament Miscellaneaous Internet Sites

 

Background Information

1. European Union at a Glance
2. European Union A-Z Index of web sites. Excellent resource from the EU Delegation in Washington, DC
3. European Union Documents. Official EU Documents: description, with links to full-text resources.
4. European Union Institutions. Overview of the institutions that make up the EU.
5. Information Sources and Contacts. a good place to start.
6. The Documentation of the European Communities: A Guide.
   JN15.T47 1989 Main Reference
   An explanation of the functions and publications of the EU bodies.
7. EC 1992 and Beyond: Access to Information
   I-EC/C73 2:Eu79 Government Publications
8. Encyclopedia of the European Union. Lynne Reinner Publishers, 1998.
   JN30.E52 1998 Main Reference
9. European Parliament. Published by Palgrave MacMillan
   JN36.E947 2003 Main Stacks
   Helpful overview to the work and structure of the European Parliament.
10. Europe in 12 Lessons
    I-EC/C73 32: 2003 Government Publications
    Provides a good foundation to what the European Union is and does.
11. Working together: the institutions of the European Community
    I-EC/C73 32:1993 Government Publications
    Explains EC institutional bodies and how they work.

Directories

1. Who's who in the European Union? : interinstitutional directory.
   JN27.157 Main Ref, older editions in Government Publications (1997- 2003/04)
   Web version provides only current directory information and is updated daily.
2. Members of the European Parliament
   I-EP 19:1999-2004 Government Publications

Current Information

1. Europa: Gateway to the European Union
2. EU Press Room . Washington DC Delegation to the Commission
3. European Union Internet Resources. Collection of sites from UC Berkeley
4. Press Watch. European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom
5. RAPID. RAPID contains press releases from the European Commission, Council of Ministers, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions
6. LexisNexis Academic . Includes full-text access to European newspapers, newswires, and transcripts.
7. World News Connection .Translates daily news accounts, commentaries, and government statements from foreign broadcasts, press agency transmissions, newspapers, and periodicals published within the previous 48–72 hours. See also FBIS elsewhere on the Government Publications web site.
8. Europe. Washington D.C. Delegation of the European Union, 1980-2003.
   HD9525.A2 E52 Government Publications
   Europe focused on activities in the EU. Published 10x/year, Europe was indexed in PAIS International , since its inception.
9. Bulletin of the European Union.1994-
   HC241.2.A212 Government Publications
   Covers all insitutions of the EU. Reports on proposals issued, meetings, and decisions taken. References pertinent points in earlier issues. Excellent place to go for legislative history, and has a very good index.
10. General Report on the Activities of the European Union
    HC241.2.A17 Government Publications
    The EU's annual comprehensive source of legislative information. Footnotes decisions published in the Official Journal, and references the Bulletin of the European Union, and other related topics in the General Report.
11. European Economy
    HC241.2.E857 Government Publications
    This publication series appears six times a year as a paper subscription and web version. It contains important reports and communications from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the economic situation and development.

Statistics

The statistical agency for the European Union is Eurostat. The Library receives copies of all statistical publications either from the EU or as part of the Index to International Statistics (IIS) microfiche set. The best indexing and access to the contents of Eurostat publications is provided through the IIS (1983-, Gov Pubs Ref fAI1.I49), and the web counterpart Lexis Nexis Statistical .

Indexes and Bibliographies

1. EU Bookshop . "EU Bookshop is an online service giving access to publications from the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies. In addition to the online bookshop, this service will offer an online catalogue and archive of all EU publications."
2. ECLAS - European Commission Libraries Catalogue
   Beginning with 1983, this indexes information from and about the EU, including:
   A- main European Union documents (e.g. the Official Journal, COM docs, etc.)
   B - official publications of EU institutions
   C - articles from approximately 2000 periodicals world-wide which relate to the EU; and
   D - statements from industry.
   Each citation has the letter (A-D) designation indicating the type of material. Articles indexed may be in any of the EU Official languages, A and B series are indexed in English.
3. European Access, 1989-2002
   HC241.2 E814 Government Publications
   A bi-monthly publication which included current awareness tools such as chronology and topical "bibliogrpahic essay" [indexed at CU-Boulder ]. It is a bibliographic point-of-entry to publications on recent events and issues in the EU. The largest section is "Recent Information" which uses subject divisions to classify information from the EU and other sources. Published in the UK, items indexed include official documentation of the EU, as well as the Financial Times, The Economist, and The Journal of the Common Market Studies.
4. Documents of the European Communities , or Documents Catalogue
    Z7165.E8 C566  Government Publications (1987-2000)
   Indexes COM Documents of the Commission of the EU, the Reports and Working Papers of the European Parliament, and the Opinions and Reports of the Economic and Social Committee. Documents of the European Communities is divided into three parts: a classified index, an alphabetical (key word) index, and a numerical index.

Primary Legislation - Treaties

Eur-Lex - the portal of European Law - makes EU treaties available from its web site.

Secondary Legislation

Policy Documents

Eur-Lex - the portal of European Law - makes the Official Journal of the European Union available from its web site.

1. Official Journal of the European Communities, later European Union.
   A. L&C Series [computer file] (Cumulates annually)
   Gov Pubs Electronic Media Software 8643 (1998- )
   B. Legislation
   HD9525.A2 E8229 Government Publications (1973-1977)
   Gov Pubs Microfiche 87 Ser. L (1978-1999)
   Cited as OJ L, the "L" series of the Official Journal consists of the texts of enacted legislation.
   C. Information and notices
   HD9525.A2 E8229 Government Publications (1978-1999)
   Gov Pubs Microfiche 87 Ser. C (1978-1999)
   Cited as OJ C, the "C" series of the OJ consists of a diverse range of information from the various EU institutions. The contents of each issue are broken down into the sections "information" and "preparatory acts."
   D. Journal officiel des Communautes europeennes
   HD9525.A2 E8228 Government Publications (1958-1967)
   
2. Indexes for microfiche and paper editions of the Official Journal are also available. Please check the library catalog for holdings.
3. Directory of Community Legislation in force and other acts of the community institutions
   I-EC 19. Government Publications (1984-1985; 2001-2003)
   I-EC 19. Gov Pubs Microfiche ( 1987-1999)
   The Directory gives subject accesss to OJ-L. Under broad subject headings (section 1) one can find legislation in chronological order (section 2). Each reference gives the full title of the regulation or directive, modifications/amendments, and the Official Journal citation. There is a numerical listing of directives and regulations with cross references to the page of the Directory.

Policy Background Documents

1. EU Documents
2. Com Documents. Commission of the EU.
   I-EC/C73 24. Gov Pubs Storage (1974-1983)
   I-EC/C73 24. Gov Pubs Microfiche (1983-2002)
   Com Documents include: proposals for legislation, broad policy documents and reports on the implementation of policy. Cited as "Com Doc," these are indexed in the Documents Catalog, and in European Access (selectively) . Since 1987, the COM documents are filed in numerical order. Prior to 1987, it is necessary to find the microfiche sheet number using the Numerical Index in the Documents Catalogue. Many of the earlier COM Docs are found in the European Parliament Reports.
3. Opinion Search
   Opinions and Reports CES. Economic and Social Committee of the EU.
   I-EC/Ec7 9. Gov Pubs Microfiche (1985-)
   Most of the items in this series are the texts of Opinions of the ESC. A small minority are more substantial reports. CES Opinions and Reports are cited as "CES," and are indexed in the Documents Catalog, and in European Access (selectively). Some years may not be filmed in numerical order. To find the microfiche sheet number with the document it is necessary to consult the Numerical Index in the Documents Catalogue.
4. Reports. European Parliament
   I-EP 12A4. Gov Pubs Microfiche (1984-1998)
   These are the documents the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) use in carrying out the business of the European Parliament. They consist of reports form the different committees of the EP. Cited as "PE Doc," these documents and working papers of the European Parliament are indexed in the Documents Catalog, and in European Access (selectively). To find the microfiche sheet number it is necessary to consult the Numerical Index in the Documents Catalogue. Beginning with 1999 these are available only via the WWW.
5. Official Journal of the European Communities: Debates of the European Parliament.
   HC 240.A1 E8885. Government Publications (1973-1977)
   Gov Pubs Microfiche 267 (1977-1997)
   I-EP 18. Gov Pubs CD-ROM. (1999-2002)
   Each issue contains the full text of the debates held during a plenary session of the EP and oral questions submitted. Minutes of plenary sessions are contained in the OJ-C .
6. COR Opinions and Reports / Resolutions(Committee of the Regions)
   I-EC/C73R 9. Government Publications (1996-2002)
   A collection of opinions and reports of the Committee of the Regions. All are reprinted in OJ-C.

European Parliament (EP)

1. European Parliament web site
2. Debates of the European Parliament
   HC 240.A1 E8885. Government Publications (1973-1977)
   Gov Pubs Microfiche 267 (1977-1997)
   I-EP 18. Gov Pubs CD-ROM. (1999-2002)
   Each issue contains the full text of the debates held during a plenary session of the EP and oral questions submitted. Minutes of plenary sessions are contained in the OJ-C .
3. Fact Sheets on the European Union
4. Accessing European Parliament documentation.
   f Z7165.E8 A33 1993. Government Publications.
5. EP News or European Parliament News
    I-EP/D63 8. Government Publications (1979-1998)

Misc. Internet Sources

1. Delegation of the EU in the US.
2. Archive of European integration , repository and archive for research materials on the topic of European integration and unification
3. Council of the European Union. Ministerial representatives from each member nation.
4. Council of Europe. A Guide to Researching the Council of Europe is available.

Return to Government Information

 

Revised, B. Cloyd
August 2007