European Union

Internet Resources | Depository Collection | Locating Materials

Internet Resources

Key documents

The EU at a Glance

The European Union : A Guide for Americans
from the European Commission Delegation to the United States

Activities of the European Union : Summaries of Legislation
a good place to get an overview of the European Union

The Single Market Review Series : Executive Summaries
The Penn State Libraries do not own the full reports

Official Servers of the European Union

European Union : Delegation of the European Commission to the United States
one of the very best web sites to locate information, and the place to go on US/EU relations. Be sure to try their A-Z index.
- A directory of other Representation to Third Countries and International Organisations

Other European Union offices in member states can also provide a rich source of information on a country's position on EU policies:
- The EU in the United Kingdom
- EUROPA @ Internet
  The European Documentation Center in Valencia, Spain also maintains an excellent homepage. In Spanish.
- Complete List of Representations of the European Commission in the Member States

The Council of the European Union
- Presidency Websites
  Presidency of the Council rotates every 6 months.

Europa
the main Commission Home Page

European Parliament

European Central Bank
- the euro Web site

European Economic and Social Committee

Committee of the Regions

Curia
Internet site for The Court of Justice of the European Communities

European Court of Human Rights
this is NOT an EU institution but many people think it is.

European Court of Auditors

European Environment Agency

European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC)

Other Agencies of the European Union

Key databases in the EU

Eur-Lex
Access to European Union law

EU Press Room
includes press releases, press packs, press services, and the Europa newsletter

EUROSTAT
Web site of the Statistical Office of the European Communities

Public Opinion (Eurobarometer)
Web site of the "Public Opinion Analysis sector of the European Commission"

Europa Information Sources
Complete list of databases by subject

Other good starting points for European Union research

European Union Research Guide (University of California Berkeley Library)
one of the most comprehensive lists with an excellent collection of treaties and other documents as well as links to important EU related sites. While this is geared to research at the UC Berkeley Library, many of the resources are also available at Penn State University Libraries.

European Information Association
"An international network for EU information specialists"

European Documentation Centre (EDC) (University of Mannheim)

European Union Research(New York University School of Law, Law Library)

European Union Center of Excellence (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Joint Research Centre of the EU Commission

European Information (University of Exeter Library)

The Social Sciences Library, Second Floor Paterno Library is a depository for European Union materials and maintains an extensive collection of documents and supporting materials. Materials are collected to serve the research and teaching needs of Penn State faculty, staff, and students, as well as the larger Pennsylvania community. These materials include:

Official Journal

Working Documents Reports of the European Parliament

Debates of the European Parliament
- Debates of the European Parliament / Débats du Parlement européen (CD-ROM)

Opinions and Reports Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities

[COM] Documents Commission of the European Communities
Commission documents include the text of proposed legislation and green papers from the Commission.

Eurostat
To find Eurostat publications in the Penn State Libraries, do a Keyword search in the CAT using Eurostat as your search term.

European Economy Reports and Studies

Locating Materials

Many documents received since early 1986 can be located in the Penn State Libraries' online catalog, the CAT. To locate earlier materials and microfiche collections specialized indexes are needed. If you can not locate what you need in the CAT please consult with the Social Sciences Library staff on 2nd Floor Paterno Library. As an depository library the Penn State University Libraries have direct, no fee access to a number of EU databases based in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Indexes

Much of the collection is accessible only through specialized indexes and abstracts. The most important indexes are listed below.

Bibliographie Parlement européen, 1970-2003 / European Parliament bibliography, 1970-2003
Contains bibliographic references to material published about the European Parliament and its activities over the period 1970-2003 in the member states of the European Union.

LexisNexis Academic
This online full-text database provides access to the EU legislation, case law, and news material. Access is available to Penn State students, faculty, and staff, as well as to visitors to the University Libraries.

Documents. Annual catalogue Commission of the European Communities
The primary print index to the European Union microfiche collections. Available in the Social Sciences Library Reference Collection. Call number: Z7165.E8C638

Bulletin of the European Union
Reviews the work of the EU institutions and gives citations to major documents and publications. Available in the Social Sciences Library Reference Collection. Call number: JN30.E9. Also available in CD-ROM format

Quick Guide to the Institutions and Legislative Publications of the European Union

Social Sciences Library