The European Union

European Governments on-line-- Provides links to the main governmental websites of most countries of Europe.

European Information-- Offers "pointers to resources of interest to those researching and studying the European Union and to research sponsored by the European Community," from the University of Exeter.

European Union Internet Resources-- Directory from the Library of the University of California at Berkeley.

EuroStudies: European Union-- From Intute, a service created by a network of UK universities and partners, a fine searchable directory for access to high quality Internet resources about the European Union in the social sciences.

Google's European Union news search page-- Excellent and focused search engine to retrieve news about the European Union. Offers an e-mail news alert service.

• EUROPA-- The massive EU Server, covering the Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, and other bodies of the European Union. There is a truly huge amount of information on this site. The Bulletin of the European Union "gives an account (10 issues per year) of the activities of the Commission and the other Community institutions." There is a fine section on The Euro: Our Currency. Basic information about the European Union is found at The European Union at a Glance and a history at The History of the European Union. The Enlargement section of the European Commission site examines issues of EU enlargement. A portal to all available information on EUROPA about the EU's foreign policies/external relations is found at The European Union in the World. The Your Europe portal provides "detailed practical information on citizen rights and opportunities in the EU" and business-oriented information. The European Youth Portal aims "to give as many young people as possible quick and easy access to relevant youth related information on Europe."

• EU Bookshop-- Handy interactive site "giving access to publications from the EU institutions, agencies and other bodies. In addition to the online bookshop, this service will offer an online catalogue and archive of all EU publications. EU Bookshop will allow users to search for EU publications, order them and where possible, download [often free] copies."

• EUR-Lex-- The searchable portal of the European Union for European Union Law, including the Official Journal of the European Union.

• European Commission Central Library-- Central locator site maintained by the European Commission's unit responsible for libraries and European Documentation Centres, "an essential tool for librarians, documentalists and researchers working on European material." Here is the European Commission Libraries Catalogue of bibliographical references for hundreds of thousands of publications on European affairs, but without document delivery or copy service.

• European Commission Online Press Room-- Latest news and press releases on the EU, with searchable archive.

• European Convention-- Web site of the European Convention, which ended in July 2003, posting the proceedings and documents of the meetings and the Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

• European Documentation Centre-- At the University of Mannheim, part of a network set up by the European Commission to offer "access to official documents and publications of the EU institutions in printed or electronic version." Much information about the EU and many of its full-text electronic documents are accessible on or through this site.

• European Union: Institute for Security Studies-- An autonomous agency of the European Union, this institute conducts studies and posts them online, and offers a newsletter about security issues of interest to the EU.

• Eurostat-- "Eurostat offers a comprehensive range of printed and electronic publications and datasets that, collectively, cover all areas of European statistics, and at every level of detail." Many statistics, guides, and analytical reports available free online.

• European Central Bank-- Chief financial institution of the European Union.

• External Trade Site of the European Union-- From the Commission of the European Union, much information on EU trade matters.

• Main Stages in the Institutional Reform of the European Union-- "This website offers information on the latest developments of the European Union institutional reform."

• Public Opinion Analysis--  From the Public Opinion Analysis sector of the European Commission, the searchable central site for EU public opinion surveys, with results and data online, as well as archives. Includes Standard Eurobarometer, Special Eurobarometer, Candidate Countries Eurobarometer, Flash Eurobarometer, and qualitative studies.

• SCAD Plus-- "Clear and concise summaries of EU legislation in all policy areas... [in] user-friendly fact sheets which summarise EU legislation... not only summaries of existing measures, but also a follow-up of legislative proposals..."

Other Sources on the European Union

• Archive of European Integration-- Excellent site from the Library System of the University of Pittsburgh-- "an electronic repository and archive for research materials on the topic of European integration and unification. The AEI collects two types of materials: certain types of independently-produced research materials and official European Community/European Union documents." Many documents and research papers for free download.

• Britain in the EU-- From the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, a guide to the EU for citizens of the UK, but useful for a more general audience.

• Centre for European Policy Studies-- From Brussels, one of Europe's leading think tanks, with the motto of "Thinking ahead for Europe." Excellent and numerous online publications, full-text and abstracts, and commentary index, largely on the European Union.

• Centre for European Reform-- From London, "a think-tank devoted to improving the quality of the debate on the future of the European Union," pro-European cooperation but with a critical eye to promote "new ideas and policies for reforming the European Union." Favors a "competitive, outward-looking Europe that has strong links to North America." Numerous publications online.

• Cicero Foundation-- Non-profit Dutch organization and think tank that actively supports the integration of the Central and Eastern European countries into the EU. Lectures from seminars are available online.

• Concise Encyclopedia of the European Union From Aachen to Zollverein-- Online version of the third edition of an "alphabetical guide to the people and institutions of the European Union," by Rodney Leach, with explanations of many terms, facts, and timelines necessary to understand the European Union.

• EU Business-- Business news generally and by business sector or country of the European Union. Note especially the EU Guides page with "background information and web links about key EU issues."

• EULISNET-- Very useful site "aimed at raising awareness of how to use documentary sources relating to Community law," part of the Robert Schuman Project and from the Université Catholique de Louvain.

• EUobserver.com-- "Independent website published in cooperation with the Group for a Europe of Democracies and Diversities in the European Parliament" for "all the latest news from the EU," with links to European news sources for most topics, e-mail news option, and debate section.

• EUpolitix-- "Rolling news service [about the EU], with a handy guide to all legislation in the pipeline, interviews and a bank of regularly updated public affairs positions from NGOs, trade organisations and corporations."

• EurActiv-- Excellent searchable portal site and directory, with a lot of solid content of news (with archives), analysis, country profiles, policy positions, online guide to thousands of EU actors, more.

• Euro Homepage-- Excellent site by Professor Giancarlo Corsetti of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, a large, annotated compendium of links to online research papers, readings, chronologies, news, and conferences about the euro and EU economics, plus related links to official and media sources, with extensive archives.

• Eurointernet-- Excellent collection of information resources related to European integration on the Internet, including many full text papers online. Serves as the World Wide Web Virtual Library for European Integration.

• Euromoney Online-- A sophisticated source of business and financial information, this site includes extended research and surveys, capital markets league tables from Euromoney's proprietary databases, and dates of forthcoming industry summits, conferences and seminars.  Requires free registration.

• Europages-- Searchable European business directory that provides 550,000 company addresses from 35 European countries, key business information, links to yellow pages throughout Europe and to world business sites.

• European Anti-Poverty Network-- "An independent coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and groups involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in the Member States of the European Union," supported by the European Commission.

• European Citizen Action Service-- NGO "independent of political parties, commercial interests and the EU Institutions. The association’s mission is to enable NGOs and individuals to make their voice heard with the EU." Site features news, documents, publications, and more about EU citizenship and civil society, rights, transparency.

• European Community Studies Association-- "An interactive communication network for academics working in the field of European Integration Studies." Note their databases and the valuable European Integration Online Documentation section. For the national associations, see the Directory of ECSA members.

• European Foreign Policy Bulletin Online-- A  searchable, full text database that allows free access to the thousands of documents issued by the European Union on foreign policy since 1985, from the European University Institute.

• European Integration History Index-- "Provides Internet resources on the History of Europe after WWII in all languages. European Integration is here understood as the process of political, economic and cultural integration and co-operation between various European countries in the 20th century - mainly in the period after 1945."

• European Parliament Research Group-- From the London School of Economics and Political Science, the website for scholars on the EU Parliament. Posts papers, data, links to member scholars, and ongoing projects.

• European Policy Centre-- Excellent, innovative, society-wide think-tank in Brussels for debate of European Union policy issues, with many documents, studies, and articles online.

• European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN)-- "Network of dynamic think tanks and policy institutes focusing on current EU and European political and policy debates... with almost 40 member think tanks in 28 countries... EPIN aims to contribute to the debate on the Future of Europe through up to the minute, expert analysis and commentary and through providing easy access to understanding the different national debates." Many studies posted online.

• European Research Papers Archive-- Excellent--allows a broad database search of hundreds of online working papers about European integration, from several research centers.

• European Union Law: An Integrated Guide to Electronic and Print Research-- By Marylin J. Raisch, and from the Law Library Resource Xchange, a fine bibliographic essay about online and print sources on EU law.

• European Union Legal Research-- From the Harvard Law School Library, a thorough guide to research on all aspects of EU law, through all the relevant media.

• European Union Studies Association-- "The premier scholarly and professional association, worldwide, focusing on the European Union," with "information on EUSA's programs and activities, such as the Forum essays from our quarterly EUSA Review, ideas and syllabi for teaching the EU, updates on our next international conference, an annotated list of valuable EU-related Web links, and more."

• European Voice-- Web version of a Brussels-based weekly newspaper published by the Economist Group and devoted entirely to European Union affairs.

• Federal Trust-- From the UK, Europe's oldest think-tank on European integration, focused on good governance and "the interactions between regional, national, European and global levels of government." Online studies.

• Foreign Policy Centre-- From the UK, "The European Think Tank with a Global Outlook," a major progressive "think tank launched under the patronage of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to develop a vision of a fair and rule-based world order." Topics of online publications include the future of Europe and Europe's role in the world.

• History of European Integration Site-- From the History Department, Leiden University, a wide variety of sources on this topic.

• Jean Monnet Program-- At  the New York University School of Law, publishes online the excellent Jean Monnet Working Papers on topics of European integration. Many online resources on European integration are available at or through this site. Note the European Integration Current Contents, which provides searchable access to the tables of contents, and some abstracts, of scores of journals covering European integration research, in various languages.

• Policy Library, European Union Section-- From an excellent social, economic, and foreign policy site, with a large database of free, online full-text studies from leading research organizations. Many EU papers available, plus links to major research sources.

• RAVE-- "Data base that covers recent publications (articles and decisions) in public international law and European law by listing them systematically and providing their citations. It is characterized by a detailed structure, by being up-to-date and by covering a high number of widely available legal Services." Hyperlinks to online sources are provided.

• Research and Policy Group Notre Europe-- Under its President Jacques Delors, this research institution "organises seminars and conferences, directs studies, consultations, and publications, launches information campaigns, and carries out other types of work of European interest in collaboration with institutions or press organisations." Online are many papers, seminar reports, debates, and sources of information off-site.

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies-- From the European University Institute, promotes research on the major issues confronting European society, principally the construction of Europe. Hundreds of excellent studies are available online. Note the EUI's database Historical Archives of the European Union, with some online access to the European Communities' files and "papers of European politicians or officials, or archives of European associations, parties and organisations that have played a significant part in the march towards European integration."

• Statewatch-- From London, a non-profit group of "lawyers, academics, journalists, researchers and community activists" that "encourages the publication of investigative journalism and critical research in the fields of the state, civil liberties and openness" in the European Union and its members. News, bulletin, documents, and analytical papers online or linked.

• Transatlantic Information Exchange System (TIESWeb)-- A joint European and American organization with a "Civil Society Agenda" to "strengthen the transatlantic partnership by promoting dialogue between individuals on a people-to-people level...not only to link citizens across the Atlantic but also to address key issues at the core of future EU/US relations." Promotes education and posts information and analysis on the topic.