EU sources and information: Introduction
About The European Union
The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political union between 27 European countries.
The predecessor of the EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The result was the European Economic Community, created in 1958 with the initial aim of increasing economic cooperation between six countries. Since then, 22 more countries joined (and the United Kingdom left the EU in 2020) and a huge single market has been created and continues to develop towards its full potential.
(From the EU Publication: The European Union)
Introductory reading
About this selection
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The selection of books and articles is mainly from the EC Library’s e-collection, obtained through its search tool Find-eR. Access may be restricted to Commission staff or to users at subscribing institutions.
EU publications
- EU at a glanceThis series of short papers provides clear, easy-to-understand explanations of what the EU does in various policy areas, why the EU is involved and what the results are.
EU publication
- How to get the most out of EU information: Services for librarians and information providersPublished: July 2022
The Publications Office is the central point of access to EU law and case-law, publications, open data, research results, procurement notices and other official information. The Publications Office makes content available in a variety of digital and physical formats. Its mission is to support EU policymaking and ensure that information and data are available to and accessible and reusable by public administrations, citizens and businesses, in order to facilitate transparency, economic activity, the diffusion of knowledge and Europe’s digital transformation.
Website
- European Union
Official website of the European Union. Site is available in many languages.
Overview of EU actions to support citizens, businesses and the economy.
Connected book: The European Union: What it is and what it does.
This publication is a guide to the European Union (EU) and what it does. The first section explains in brief what the EU is. The second section, ‘What the European Union does’, describes what the EU is doing in 35 different areas to improve the lives of people in Europe and further afield. The third section, ‘How the European Union makes decisions and takes action’, describes the institutions at the heart of the EU’s decision-making process and how their decisions are translated into actions.
Treaties
- Treaties currently in force
The EU treaties are binding agreements between EU member countries. They set out EU objectives, rules for EU institutions, how decisions are made and the relationship between the EU and its member countries. Every action taken by the EU is founded on treaties.
Treaties are amended to make the EU more efficient and transparent, prepare for new member countries and introduce new areas of cooperation.
EUR-Lex contains the founding, amending and accession treaties, as well as some protocols.
EU publication
- The EU in 2021: General report on the activities of the European Union2021 was a very special year for all humanity. Do you want to know what the EU did during the year to combat the pandemic and its effect but also what progress it made in delivering on its other priorities? The measures it took to boost jobs, growth and investment? Or how citizens benefited from the European Union?
You can find the answers to all these questions and more in The EU in 2021.