Author Archives: Margaret

What are JOIN and SWD documents?

In January 2012, the European Commission introduced two new document identifiers, JOIN and SWD.

JOIN is for joint proposals, communications, reports, white papers and green papers adopted by the Commission and the High Representative.
SWD is for staff and joint staff working documents (impact assessments, summaries of impact assessments, staff working papers). It replaces SEC, which has traditionally indicated a document issued by the Commission’s Secretariat General.

COM will still be used, but only for documents drafted by the Commission.

The changes do not concern documents adopted before 2012.  For more information, see EUR Lex newsletter 20 February 2012.

Posted by the EDC in the Bodleian Law Library

Report on the Activities of the EU in 2011

The General Report on the Activities of the EU in 2011 has now been published in all the official languages. It gives an account of the EU’s major initiatives and activities throughout the year in all policy areas.  You can consult the Report by clicking here.

For the first time ever the Report is also available in an e-book version for optimised reading on mobile phones or tablets.

Posted by the EDC in the Bodleian Law Library

European Commission Library launches a virtual reference collection

The European Commission Library has launched a virtual reference collection of websites and search tools that are freely available on the internet.  In addition to the links that are also very readily available via Europa there are links to open access research papers, online journals and other external sources ranging from the European Information Association to ViFaOst.

Posted by the European Documentation Centre in the Bodleian Law Library

Changes to document delivery charges in the New Year

We have decided, with great regret, that in January we need to raise our document delivery prices, which have remained constant for five years.  We are making the change because of increases in the cost of providing the document delivery service, in the cost of the CLA licence and now, finally, the rise in VAT.

From 4 January 2011, the cost of a standard commercial document delivery order will increase to £30.  A £30 charge will also apply to most copies supplied for use in judicial proceedings.  If a copy runs to more than 25 sheets, we shall charge £2.50 for each group of up to five extra sheets.

The cost of a standard copy of up to 25 sheets for private study will increase on 4 January 2011 to £15.   If the copy is longer than 25 sheets, there will be an additional charge of £7.50 for up to 25 extra sheets.  This reflects the actual cost to the Library of providing the copy, as required under sections 38 and 39 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Our flat rate charges will continue to cover the full cost of providing each copy, including VAT and the CLA licence, where applicable.  More infomation will be available on our website  in January.

EU information developments: people power or dumbing down?

When the EU Bulletin ceased publication and the site was archived at the end of August 2009, EU information specialists placed their hopes in the General Report for facts, figures and information.  All the more disappointing then that the latest General Report is colourful and attractive, but thin on useful details (see the Tweets from the European Information Association on 6 April).

But even stranger, towards the end of Press Release MEMO/10/100  of 24 March 2010 there is an embedded link in the sentence ‘EU rules already set out uniform rules on the competent court and mutual recognition of divorce judgments …’  The link is to a Wikipedia entry for the Council.  Is this “dumbing down” … or does the Commission consider that the collaborative work of largely anonymous volunteers, who write without pay, is as reliable as its own legal sources?

Thanks to Eric Davies of the European Information Association for pointing out these developments.

Posted by the European Documentation Centre

UK Human Rights Blog launched

One Crown Office Row (1COR) has launched UK Human rights Blog, which aims to provide a free legal update service produced by experts that will be accessible not only to students and lawyers, but also to the man in the street.

Edited by Adam Wagner, Angus McCullough QC and Rosalind English, it will be updated regularly with news, case comments and features written by human rights and public law specialists within 1COR, with a view to providing a service that will report on human rights issues in a fair and balanced manner.

You can follow this blog on Facebook, Twitter or set up email notifications.

DEC.NAT database

DEC.NAT is a free resource that contains some 20,300 references to decisions by national courts concerning Community law from 1959 up to the present day.  The Association of the Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union has created an interface that makes the data on national decisions held in the files of the Court of Justice of the European Union available to and searchable by the public.

The database contains references to and summaries of national case law concerning European Union law (with references to annotations and comments), which is sourced from the Research and Documentation Service of the Court of Justice of the European Union.  Data is available in French, and in English for decisions pre-dating 21 October 2008, and includes:

  • national references: names of parties, national provisions applied and relevant articles of doctrine;
  • international or European references, Community provisions applied (if any);
  • an analysis of the decision: keywords, i.e. a summary of the purpose of the decision;
  • in some cases, a fourth section with the preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice.

Posted by the European Documentation Centre

EU Treaties: consolidated texts

Today, consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union are published in the Official Journal OJ C83, 30/03/10, along with the declarations annexed to the Final Act of the Intergovernmental Conference which adopted the Treaty of Lisbon and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The text includes those rectifications which were adopted up to the time of publication.

Posted by the European Documentation Centre

EU-China Observer

 The Collège d’Europe’s online publication EU-China Observer offers a view of the EU from a different perspective, and the opportunity for scholars and practitioners to exchange ideas on EU-China relations.   All six issues for 2009 and the first issue of 2010 are now available on the web.  The latest issue includes an open letter to the new EU Trade Commissioner’s China Team from Xiaotong Zhang, Trade Attaché at the Chinese Mission.

(Posted by the European Documentation Centre)

New look EU Commission

 

On 9 February the European Parliament approved the new European Commission, and restructuring is underway.  DG Energy and Transport has been separated into DG Energy and DG Mobility and Transport, and there is a new DG for Climate Action  to cover the relevant activities that previously fell to DG Environment, DG External Relations and DG Enterprise and Industry (See IP/10/164, 17 February 2010).  The Commission’s website is being updated, and in addition to information about the Commision’s structure and work, there are links to headline stories and information on policies, legislation, contracts, grants and events.

Thanks to the European Information Association for flagging up these changes in EUFocus

Posted by the European Documentation Centre