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)
The resources listed in the EC Library Guides do not necessarily represent the positions, policies or opinions of the EU institutions and bodies.
Introductory reading
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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
- A short guide to the EUPublications Office of the European Union, 2023. Ever wondered which EU countries use the euro or what it means to be part of the Schengen area? What the European Green Deal is and how it will make your life better? What exactly the EU does for you and where the money comes from to pay for it all? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the EU.
EU publication
- How to get the most out of EU information – Services for librarians and information providersPublications Office of the European Union, 2023.
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
- Your gateway to the European Union
Official website of the European Union. History of the EU, EU countries, Institutions and bodies, Featured news, Principles and values, European Union priorities 2024-2029, Budget, Achievements, Learning corner, EU made easy.
See also: 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 2023 – General report on the activities of the European UnionWould you like to know how the EU addressed the challenges of 2023 and what it achieved during the year? Are you curious about the main policy developments and how citizens benefited from them? You can find the answers to all these questions and more in The EU in 2023.