EC Library Guide on EU sources and information: Introduction
Introduction
About this Library Guide
This Library Guide has been compiled to support the work of the European Commission. It may also be of interest to students, researchers and the wider public.
The Library Guide presents a curated selection of relevant sources on the topic: EU websites, EU publications, EU statistics and data, EU law, EU research results, international publications, peer-reviewed research journals and articles, books and news updates.
Use the Find-eR search box on the left to discover information sources on other topics that matter to you.
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political union between 27 European countries. They work together to improve the lives of people in Europe, and even further afield.
The EU has worked for the peace, prosperity and well-being of its citizens for over 60 years. From six founding countries – or Member States – in the 1950s, it has grown into a union of 27 countries with a population of almost 450 million people.
What started as an economic project to help raise living standards in post-war Europe has led to the creation of the world’s largest single-market area, where people, goods, services and money can move freely. Over the decades, the EU has widened its scope to areas where cooperation between countries brings better results. The countries that belong to the EU believe that by working together they are stronger and better able to tackle today’s big challenges, such as climate change and the digital transformation of our society, major health and security threats like the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Source: European Commission
The resources listed in the EC Library Guides do not necessarily represent the positions, policies or opinions of the EU institutions and bodies.