University of Ulster Library - Social Sciences - European Information Resources

GATEWAY SITES:

The European Union's Homepage (EUROPA)	This page contains information on news, activities, institutions, documents and services. Direct links have been provided later on this page to some of its most frequently accessed sections. Click on How to find information on EUROPA for a guide to the EUROPA website
The European Information Association (EIA)	"seeks to provide not only access to information about the EU, but also to expertise in its workings, so that [...] members, their users, and other interested parties can benefit from gaining a clearer picture of what the EU is and how it works"

INSTITUTIONS, BODIES AND AGENCIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Commission	The European Commission is one of the main institutions of the European Union. It represents and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole. It drafts proposals for new European laws. It manages the day-to-day business of implementing EU policies and spending EU funds
Committee of the Regions	Information on and about the work of the EU within the various regions. Select the region you are interested in to see nation-specific information, videos and documents.
Council of the European Union	The Council of the European Union is the Union's legislative body; for a wide range of Community issues, it exercises that legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament. There is access to a searchable Public Register of Council documents.
The Court of Auditors	Since the Treaty of Maastricht the European Court of Auditors has been recognised as one of the five institutions of the European Communities. It is the EU Institution established by the Treaty to carry out the audit of EU finances. Links to audit reports and Opinions from its Publications tab
The Court of Justice of the European Union	The Court of Justice interprets EU law to make sure it is applied in the same way in all EU countries. It also settles legal disputes between EU governments and EU institutions. Individuals, companies or organisations can also bring cases before the Court if they feel their rights have been infringed by an EU institution. Full-text access to cases from 1997 onwards.
European Economic and Social Committee	The European Economic and Social Committee was established in 1957 as a forum to discuss issues regarding the single market. The EESC gives Europe's interest groups –trade unionists, employers, farmers – a formal say on EU legislative proposals
European Data Protection Supervisor	The position of European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) was created in 2001. The responsibility of the EDPS is to make sure that all EU institutions and bodies respect people’s right to privacy when processing their personal data.
The European Central Bank.	The European Central Bank (ECB, based in Frankfurt, Germany) manages the euro – the EU's single currency – and safeguards price stability in the EU. The ECB is also responsible for framing and implementing the EU’s economic and monetary policy.
The European Investment Bank	The European Investment Bank is owned by the 27 EU countries. It borrows money on the capital markets and lends it at a low interest rate to projects that improve infrastructure, energy supply or environmental standards both inside the EU and in neighbouring or developing countries.
The European Ombudsman	The European Ombudsman investigates complaints against EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies. The site includes a case search option by subject or keyword
The European Parliament	Directly elected by EU voters every 5 years, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent the people. Parliament is one of the EU’s main law-making institutions, along with the Council of the European Union ('the Council').
Agencies and Decentralised Bodies of the European Union

BRITAIN AND THE EU

European Commission Representation in the United Kingdom

The European Commission has offices, called Representations, in all the Member States of the European Union. The UK Representation is in London; there are also Offices in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, including Reporting Europe:the newsletter of the Belfast Office of the Commission. This website also has information links to Documentation Centres throughout the UK

EU Select Committee (House of Lords)

The European Union Committee considers EU documents and other EU-related matters in advance of decisions being taken on them. It aims to hold the Government to account for its actions at the EU level. The work of the Select Committee is assisted by seven Sub-Committees dealing with different policy areas. The Sub-Committees scrutinise proposals, correspond with Ministers outline any concerns or queries about proposals, conduct inquiries and prepare reports

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

DOCUMENTS

EUR-Lex	The EU's Legal documents Site which includes Treaties, COM Docs, the Official Journal, recent Case Law of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance, etc
European Research Papers Archive	Contains the Harvard Jean Monnet Papers, the online publications of the European University Institute in Florence, the working and discussion papers of the Max Planck Institute and the European Integration online Papers
Official Documents of the European Union	Green papers (i.e.ComDocs), White papers, the Bulletin of the EU and other important documents available in full text, summary or press release format

CURRENT AWARENESS

Eurobarometer	Public opinion in the EU going back issues as far as 1970
RAPID	Daily EU News Briefings
European Voice	A Brussels based weekly newspaper published by The Economist Group
RTD Info	Quarterly update on the Community's research programme includes calls for proposals etc

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES

Europa Summaries	User-friendly summaries of EU legislation in all policy areas
ECLAS	The catalogue of the European Commission Library
Publications Office	The Official Publisher of the Institutions of the European Union
Eurostat.	The European Union statistical information service

OTHER RECOMMENDED SITES:

National Centre for Research on Europe	A new Zealand based academic centre, looking at the issues of European politics, society and international relations, with a special slant on the impact with Australasia
Contemporary Europe Research Centre	Another antipodean centre specialising in European issues. Full-text research papers, lectures and other information sources.
Europe and the World	University of Liverpool
European University Institute	The European University Institute (EUI) was set up in 1972 by the six founding Member States of the European Communities to provide advanced academic training to doctoral researchers and to promote research at the highest level. The site contains a link to the Historical Archives of the EU.