The Law Bod has now got a subscription to a new (for us!) database: EuroCases. Please note that it requires a special username and password (not the usual Oxford SSO). To find out what the magic sesame is just log in (with your aforementioned Oxford SSO) to the special Weblearn site Please remember your basic netiquette and log out properly (not just close your browser) when you have finished your session, there are limit to the number of concurrent users who can access this site under our subscription.
We can note that there is a free – to – everyone interested dimension to EuroCases – a blog commenting on interesting cases from the all the sources, shortly after they are decided.
Back to the password protected database. Once you have used the special username and password to log in (if the first one is already “taken”, remember there were alternatives) click on the orange Enter the site button, just to the left of the log in link. 
EuroCases offers:
- Easy-to-use online service offering user-friendly interface with an English interface (others are German, French, Italian, and Bulgarian.)
- Editorial annotations with keywords and summaries of most important cases
- Complete document collection of EU treaties (primary law), legislation (secondary law: regulations, directives, etc), & international agreements both EU + 3rd countries, & between EU members. These in English version as well as French, German, and Bulgarian.
- Case law of the Court of Justice interlinked with the referring national cases
- A growing collection of judgments of Member States’ supreme courts (and the occasional lower court) based on EU rules (currently the claim is more than 150,000 – we didn’t count!) However, the full text of the judgment is still in the national language. And some cases dating from 2000, are not full-text at all but only have “bibliographic annotation” one assumes a citation/case number which you can take to another source of the judgement. Approximately 15,000 decisions are in this form.
The home page, after a second or two to take it all in, looks as though the “easy-to-use” and “user-friendly” claims are reasonable!
Some things to note.
In the extreme right hand corner, right of the little person icon is the drop down where you will find the Log Out route.
The Log In has taken me to the English language interface. You can change to one of the others – Bulgarian, French, German, Italian – by using the drop down options to the right of the flag option. If you wanted to know quickly whether (for example) there had been any Décisions récentes in a French court (and had at least a reading knowledge) just change the flag!
Via options in the left hand column, it is possible to browse by one of the following topics:
• Freedom of Movement • Company Law • IP Law • Private International Law • Tax Law • Labour Law • Social Security Law • Competition Law • Consumer & Health Protection Law • Environmental Law • Public Procurement Law • EU Constitutional Law • Fundamental Rights Law • ICT & Media Law • Migration, criminal law & criminal justice • Common Agricultural Policy • Transport Law • Energy Law • Regional Policy & Structural Instruments
Below is a the result of clicking on the Competition law option. The first page of results is of EU case law (most recent first)
Once again, note how the left hand column, means you can go quickly to say, relevant Austrian case law with just a click – then drill down further. On the screen shot below I have drilled down to case level – if I want to see the full text (if it is available) I could either click the Document Text link in the left hand column or just scroll down. Note at the top of the central column, options to export or print. The last of the icons on the left is where to find links to other documents within the database (none in this instance)
Penultimately, there is of course an Advanced Search Screen. Below is the default – for case law searches – note the option in the left hand column to switch to an EU legislation search.
And finally, clicking on the ? Help (top of each page near left hand corner of central column) produces a neat little 34 page pdf guide to all aspects of EuroCases, with screen shots!
