European Union (EU)

Europa is the gateway to all the Union’s institutions: Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the European Investment Bank and the European Monetary Institute. It also gives you access to the agencies and specialist bodies that work for the institutions. 250,000 documents on line. Between now and the end of 1998 all current European legislation will be added to the existing documentary base. This means that the Europa documentary base will contain over 1,000 000 pages. The most multilingual site in the world. All eleven Union languages are used wherever possible.

European citizens have at their fingertips:

• general information on the European Union (including its aims, history, flag, anthem and details about the Member States);
• the major issues on the EU agenda: such as the introduction of the euro, enlargement to take in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the text of the Treaty of Amsterdam which is currently at the ratification stage;
• the European Union Treaties;
• the Union’s legislation (Regulations, Directives, etc.);
• information on the rights of European citizenship (including freedom of movement, social rights, the right to vote and to stand for election, and the protection of basic rights);
• key figures regarding the EU;
• publications available;
• the nearest available sources of information;
• a mailbox.

• If you are a journalist you can access:
• press releases from each EU institution’s information office. They cover matters such as decisions taken at the latest Council meeting, important proposals the Commission has just sent to Parliament and national governments, landmarks rulings by the Court of Justice and figures on monthly employment, inflation, industrial output and foreign trade.
• a guide to daily TV broadcasts, including live broadcasts, transmitted to television stations via satellite;
• a timetable of forthcoming events (European Parliament activities, meetings of the Council of the European Union, measures taken by the European Commission, etc.)

Go to Europa