Category Archives: European Union law

From out of the woods did a cuckoo fly

(A traditional Czech Carol translated by Percy Dearmer). This traditional Czech carol, about a cuckoo, a pidgeon and a dove, reminds us of the importance of diversity in the bird population.  The Birds Directive  is a codified version of Directive 79/409/EEC, which is the EU’s oldest piece of nature legislation.  This is the sort of… Read More »

Bibliography of the Council

Check out the new Bibliography of the Council.  Complied by the Commission’s Central Library it consists of around 730 records referencing around 260 books and 470 articles and selected chapters.  References are grouped in specific research fields and indexed according to Eurovoc descriptors. The Central Library would be grateful if researchers would, by September 2012, test… Read More »

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,… Read More »

ECLI: European Case Law Identifier

Users of  legal websites may begin to see a new case identification/neutral citation system appearing as a result of  the recent Council of EU decision, designed to facilitate  cross-border access to national case law (whether from courts or tribunals).  Council conclusions inviting the introduction of the European Case Law Identifier (ECLI) and a minimum set of uniform metadata… Read More »