European and Human Rights Information Online
NB This list is updated regularly, but please be aware that internet addresses are subject to change without warning.
The internet may be accessed from all the catalogue terminals. Printing is possible at 10p per page: please pay at the Enquiry desk.
GENERAL DATABASES AND PORTALS
Delia Venables’ Portal to Legal Resources in the UK and Ireland (includes legal sites and resources in other European countries)
www.venables.co.uk
EUROPA (“The Gateway to the European Union”; a chronology of European integration, information about EU institutions, policies, official publications, contacts and links to other servers)
http://europa.eu
EUROPA - Information sources and contacts (a guide to finding information on Europa, with links to legislation, case law, Commission reports, papers and press releases, etc)
http://europa.eu/geninfo/info/guide/index_en.htm#db
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies’ eagle-i service (website maintained by IALS, offering access to global legal information, arranged by topic and jurisdiction)
http://ials.sas.ac.uk/eagle-i.htm
Lawlinks - Legal information on the internet (an annotated list of web sites, maintained by the University of Kent at Canterbury, covering official and unofficial sources for EU law, and resources, organisations and online journals relating to human rights)
http://library.ukc.ac.uk/library/lawlinks
Legal Journals Index (This is available via Westlaw, to which the library subscribes. It includes abstracts of articles on European law and human rights published in the UK since 1986.)
PROFESSIONAL BODIES
Bar Council (including Brussels Office which produces a newsletter obtainable on application)
www.barcouncil.org.uk
Bar European Group (details of committee members and activities plus text of conference reports and talks by members)
www.bareuropeangroup.com
CCBE (Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union)
www.ccbe.org
ELIXIR - European Lawyers’ Information Exchange & Internet Resource (a guide to the legal professions of the Member States of the EU)
http://elixir.bham.ac.uk
The European Circuit (the first new circuit of the Bar for several hundred years!)
www.europeancircuit.com
European Information Association (information about the EIA, newsletter, contents of journal and links to other websites for EU information)
www.eia.org.uk
PUBLICATIONS AND LIBRARIES
Bulletin of the EU (includes issues from 1996 onwards, with a new search engine linking to the OJs and COM documents)
http://europa.eu/abc/doc/off/bull/en/welcome.htm
ECLAS (the catalogue of the European Commission’s libraries)
http://europa.eu/eclas
European Journal of International Law (1990 - )
www.ejil.org
General Report on the Activities of the European Union (published annually, online since 1997 plus summaries for 1995 & 1996)
http://europa.eu/abc/doc/off/rg/en/welcome.htm
Maastricht Internet Law Library (an initiative of the University of Maastricht; includes EU law and domestic law of Member States)
www.ub.unimaas.nl/mill/index.html
Publications Portal (reference point listing all sites of EU institutions and agencies covering publications. Sources may be accessed via either an alphabetical list of sites and web-pages or a thematic index of EU policies and activities)
http://europa.eu/publications
NEWS AND CURRENT AWARENESS
EUObserver.com (an independent website which aims to provide impartial news on EU affairs)
www.euobserver.com
EurActiv.com (covers EU news and policy positions)
www.euractiv.com
The European Convention (Although its work was completed on 10 July 2003, the site is still open for consultation by those requiring background information on the future development of the European Union. See also Futurum website below)
http://european-convention.eu.int
Futurum (This inter-institutional portal site, managed by the European Commission, is a source of reference and information for citizens, associations and organisations wishing to follow the debate on the future of the EU)
http://europa.eu/futurum/index_en.htm
RAPID (database managed by Commission’s Press and Communication Service, providing press releases on behalf of all European Institutions; updated daily)
http://europa.eu.int/rapid
SCADplus (gives dates of institutions’ meetings, summaries of EU policies and SCAD database - bibliographic references to official European publications and periodical articles)
http://europa.eu/scadplus
EU INSTITUTIONS
Commission Directory (gives brief details of all Commission staff. See EU Who is Who below for senior staff in other institutions)
http://ec.europa.eu/staffdir/plsql/gsys_tel.display_search?pLang=EN
Council of the EU
http://consilium.europa.eu
ECOSOC database (Economic and Social Committee opinions on EU law proposals)
http://eesc.europa.eu
European Commission
http://ec.europa.eu
European Commission - Competition DG (ex DG IV) Commission (this site covers antitrust, mergers and state aid and includes merger decisions, recent Annual Reports on Competition Policy and the full text of EC Competition Policy Newsletter since 1994)
http://europa.eu/comm/dgs/competition/index_en.htm
European Commission - Environment DG (ex DG XI) (information on environmental policy)
http://europa.eu/comm/dgs/environment/index_en.htm
European Parliament (information on members and activities)
www.europarl.europa.eu
European Parliament UK Office (news and activities of the European Parliament, details of publications and UK MEPs; and a user-friendly version of the Constitution)
www.europarl.org.uk
EU Who is who (provides information on senior officials in all EU institutions, updated weekly, See Commission Directory above for all Commission staff)
http://europa.eu/idea/en
Representation of the Commission in the UK (includes The Week in Europe newsletter and recruitment information)
www.ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom
LEGISLATION AND LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
Archive of European Integration (managed by Pittsburgh University, this site provides access to official documents of EU institutions relating to European integration)
http://aei.pitt.edu/aei-eu.html
Directory of Community Legislation (an index to legislation in force)
http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/en/repert/index.htm
Cabinet Office European Memorandum (brief summaries, prepared by the Cabinet Office, of proposed EU legislation, searchable by keyword or by Council/Commission document number)
http://europeanmemorandum.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
EU Green Papers (discussion documents published by Commission on a specific policy area, dating from 1984 onward)
http://europa.eu/documents/comm/green_papers/index_en.htm
EU White Papers (official proposals for Community action in a specific policy area published since 1985)
http://europa.eu/documents/comm/white_papers/index_en.htm
EUR-Lex (the new portal to EU law, incorporating the former CELEX and offering free access to the Official Journal in all languages, the Treaties, consolidated versions of all legislation in force, draft legislation and accompanying institutional documents since 1999 and links to OEIL, PreLex, TED and case law since 1997)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu
House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee (assesses importance of EU documents and decides which should be debated, monitors activities of UK Ministers in Council and reviews legal, procedural and institutional developments in the EU)
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/european_scrutiny.cfm
IPEX - Interparliamentary EU Information Exchange (for documents about scrutiny by other memer states of EU proposals)
http://www.ipex.eu/ipex/cms/home/Documents
Justis.com CELEX (CELEX is the European Union’s official legal database. It contains the founding treaties with revisions, secondary legislation, national implementation measures, reports of the European Court of Justice, Court of First Instance and European Parliament questions.)
www.justis.com
Justis.com OJ ‘C’ (This contains the full text of the ‘C’ series of the Official Journal since 1990 and covers draft legislation, European Court cases and European Parliament proceedings)
LAWTEL EU (alerting service offering all official EU documents and case law developments within 24 hours, as well as proposed legislation, adopted legislation in force, treaty texts and merger cases since 1998. The EU Daily Update bulletin gives details of all legal developments.)
www.lawtel.com
Lexis Nexis (The Library subscribes to Lexis Nexis enabling members to access EU legislation and case law as well as UK legal materials and certain other jurisdictions. A help desk is available on 0845 608 1188)
N-Lex (a new, still experimental, portal providing access to the official national law websites of the Member States)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/n-lex or http://n-lex.europa.eu
OEIL: “the Legislative Observatory” (useful for checking the progress of draft legislation)
www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil
Official Journal of the European Communities (‘L’, ‘C’ and ‘S’ series available from 1998)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOIndex.do?ihmlang=en
PreLex (monitors the decision-making process between the Commission and other institutions, with links to relevant documents, eg from the Commission and European Parliament)
http://europa.eu/prelex
Treaties Office Database (a new Commission database giving summaries and full-text of all bi- and multilateral agreements concluded by EC, Euratom and ECSC, plus those concluded under the Treaty on European Union)
http://ec.europa.eu/world/agreements/default.home.do
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (full text in all official languages together with ratification and referendum details and summary)
http://europa.eu./constitution/index_en.htm
CASE LAW
All England Direct (Library subscription: in addition to the All England Reports, this includes All England European Cases from 1995 onwards and cases not reported elsewhere.)
European Court of Justice (Judgments, Opinions and Orders available free since 17 June 1997)
http://curia.europa.eu
WorldLII (European section contains transcripts of ECJ cases since 1954)
www.worldlii.org
SPECIFIC AREAS OF POLICY
Common Foreign and Security Policy website (includes a searchable database of CFSP documents)
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/cfsp/intro/index.htm
EIROnline - European Industrial Relations Observatory Online) (a project of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions; information and analysis of industrial relations issues in the EC Member States and Norway)
www.eiro.eurofound.ie
esp@cenet (Europe’s network of patent databases, for patent applications in original language from EPO and WIPO )
http://ec.espacenet.com
Euro-Copyrights:Copyright laws in digital Europe (this site aims to give a full picture of the status of the Copyright Directive in individual member states and its implications across the EU)
www.euro-copyrights.org
European Arrest Warrant (authoritative commentary and analysis on the Arrest warrant and related EU instruments, national legislation and judicial practice)
http://eurowarrant.eu
European Arrest Warrant Atlas (available on European Judicial network website and intended to facilitate the issuing, transmission and execution of EAWs)
http://www.ejn-crimjust.europa.eu
European Legal Database on Drugs (the EU drug agency’s online database on European drugs-related legislation, covering the Member States and Norway. Information on candidate countries will be added as it becomes available. It comprises legislative texts, country profiles, comparative studies and an overview of the main trends in drugs law)
http://eldd.emcdda.eu.int
Europol (for text of Europol Convention and related documents and press releases)
www.europol.europa.eu
TARIC - Online Customs tariff database (contains a nomenclature with about 15,000 tariff lines; searchable either by specifying goods description or tariff code or by browsing in Sections and Chapters)
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds/tarhome_en.htm
TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) (online version of Official Journal ‘S’ series, containing invitations to tender for public works and supply contracts; now free)
http://ted.europa.eu
MEMBER STATES
Cornell University Legal Information Institute - “World legal materials from Europe” (a gateway to sources of national law, including constitution, legislation and selected decisions, mainly from Constitutional and Supreme Courts)
www.law.cornell.edu/world/europe.html
European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters (Managed by the Commission, this site, still in a rather embryonic state, will provide information on the legal systems and procedure of Member States)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/ejn/index_en.htm
GlobaLex (published by the Hauser Global Law School Program of the NYU School of Law and dedicated to international and foreign legal research, this includes a guide to the legal systems of most EU Member States)
www.nyulawglobal.com/globalex/index.html
IALS Library Research Guides (a series of introductory guides to legal sources for various EU member states, based on the IALS Library’s holdings)
http://ials.sas.ac.uk/library/guides/research_guides.htm
Law Library of Congress Guide to Law Online (lists online sources of constitutions and other legal materials of Member States; produced by US Law Library of Congress Public Services Division)
www.loc.gov/law/guide
LLRX.com (Law Library Resource Xchange) (introductions and guides to national legislation with extensive sources: search for required jurisdiction from home page)
www.llrx.com
LLRX - Guide to European Legal Databases (covers both free and subscription-based internet sites)
www.llrx.com/features/europenew.htm
Squire Law Library: Electronic Research - Foreign Law (an extensive list of worldwide resources)
http://www.law.cam.ac.uk/squire/elec_res_jur_for.php or http://tinyurl.com/2vulu
WorldLII (World legal Information Institute) (provides “free, independent and non-profit access to worldwide law” - selected legislation and case law in a mixture of English and original language; choose from catalogue of countries on home page)
www.worldlii.org
Bundesgesetzblätter (Austrian official gazette with legislation from 1983)
www.ris.bka.gv.at/auswahl
Juridat (portal for Belgian law, covering both legislation and case law)
http://www.juridat.be/pyramide_fr.php
Cyprus Government Gazette (Cyprus legislation since 2002)
www.cygazette.com
Cyprus Law Reports (full text of Supreme Court Decisions since 1976)
www.cylawreports.com
Retsinformation (official Danish on-line legal information system, established in 1985)
www.retsinformation.dk
Elektroonilise Riiga Teataja (eRT) (Estonian official journal with text of legislation since 2002)
http://www.riigiteataja.ee/ert/ert.jsp
Finlex (Finnish national legislation and caselaw since 1995, some in English)
www.finlex.fi
Droit.org (a portal of French law)
http://droit.org
Droit Francophone (this portal, dedicated, like BAILII, to the free provision of law, covers the whole of the French-speaking world, including France, and gives links to websites of legislation, case law, doctrine and journals)
http://portail.droit.francophonie.org/
Légifrance (official French legal database containing constitution, codes (many in English), Journal Officiel: Lois et décrets since 1990, selected consolidated texts of legislation, selected cases and links to official legislative databases of other EU Member States)
www.legifrance.gouv.fr
Institute of Global Law (This site is a resource of University College London for French and German materials in the fields of constitutional, administrative, contract and tort law, including English translations of cases before the higher courts)
www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/global_law/cases/
Bundesgerichtshof (reports of German Federal Court since 1 January 2000)
www.bundesgerichtshof.de
German Law Archive (Maintained by Institute of European and Comparative Law, Oxford, this site aims to make German law accessible in English - statutes, cases, literature and comprehensive bibliography)
www.iuscomp.org/gla
Gesetze im WWW (access to a wide range of German legislation)
www.rechtliches.de
Recht für Deutschland (free access to full text of Bundesgesetzblatt for last 3 years; earlier years by subscription)
http://bundesgesetzblatt.makrolog.de
Laws of Gibraltar (This website will eventually contain all primary and secondary legislation consolidated to date. So far the key laws, such as financial services, merchant shipping and income tax are included)
www.gibraltarlaws.gov.gi
Magyar Közlöny (Hungarian official journal since 1990)
www.magyarkozlony.hu/nkonline/index.php
Irish Courts Service (judgments of Supreme Court since 2001 and Court of Criminal Appeal from 2004; other courts to be added later. Also includes court forms and practice directions)
www.courts.ie
Irish Legal Information Initiative (run by University College Cork’s Law Faculty to complement its work on BAILII, a good source for very recent statutes and cases including an index of all decisions in the Irish Supreme and High Courts 1997-2001)
www.irlii.org
Irish statutes and statutory instruments 1922-2001
www.irlgov.ie/ag/ (full text of bills since 1997 on www.irlgov.ie/bills28/bills/default.htm )
Legal Eagle Links-Ireland (a categorised set of links for Irish lawyers, covering Irish courts, professional associations, government departments and sources arranged by topics)
http://homepage.eircom.net/~legaleaglelinks/
Gazzetta Ufficiale (Italian official gazette 1988 onwards)
www.gazzettaufficiale.it
Italian Parliament (for text of Italian legislation since May 1996)
www.parlamento.it/parlam/leggi/
NormeinRete (an Italian portal to legal materials made freely available by Italian government departments on their websites, including legislation and law reports)
www.normeinrete.it
Latvijas Vêstnesis (Latvian official journal since 1996)
www.vestnesis.lv/index.php
Malta Government Gazette (since 2003)
www.doi.gov.mt
Overheid.nl (The official Dutch government website gives text of legislation and treaties from 1995 onwards in “Officiële Publicaties” and “Wet- en Regelgeving” sections)
www.overheid.nl
Dziennik Ustaw (Polish Official Journal since 1918)
www.dziennik-ustaw.pl/
Diário da República (Portuguese official journal since 1970)
http://dre.pt
Sistema de Informaç~o Documental sobre Direito do Ambiente (Portuguese laws and cases)
www.diramb.gov.pt
Uradni List (Slovenian official journal from 1995)
www.uradni-list.si/index.jsp
Boletin Oficial (free access to text of Boletin Oficial since 1995 and Spanish legislation from 1968)
www.boe.es/g/es/
Projecte Norma Civil (site maintained by University of Girona offering full text of Spanish Civil Code and the main Spanish statutes on civil subjects)
http://civil.udg.es/normacivil/
EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION
EFTA Court (for all Court decisions)
www.eftacourt.lu
HUMAN RIGHTS
Council of Europe Human Rights Web (includes European Convention on Human Rights and related conventions, European Social Charter and access to European Court of Human Rights)
www.humanrights.coe.int
Council of Europe Treaty Office Website (for texts of Council of Europe conventions, in English, French, Italian, German and Russian, and Chart showing signatures and ratifications...)
http://conventions.coe.int
European Court of Human Rights (information about the Court and judgments free on date of delivery on Hudoc database)
www.echr.coe.int
European Union Annual Report on Human Rights (reviews initiatives undertaken by the EU to promote human rights, first issued in 1999)
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/human_rights/doc/index.htm
Hudoc (case law of European Court and Commission of Human Rights)
http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/default.htm
Human Rights Update (an initiative of 1 Crown Office Row, containing material previously available only on Lawtel. Contains over 400 reports and commentaries dating back to 1998, as well as articles prepared by members of chambers and a commentary on the ECHR and HRA. A weekly e-mail update is also available.)
www.humanrights.org.uk/5/text.nc
Interights - International Centre for the Legal Protection of Human Rights (includes summaries of recent decisions from Commonwealth jurisdictions and tribunals applying international human rights law, as well as links to regional and national bodies and tribunals and relevant national sites)
www.interights.org
International Court of Justice (cases referred to the ICJ since 1946, information about the Court and basic UN documents, including the Charter)
www.icj-cij.org
Lawtel Human Rights (a comprehensive information service on the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 and their interpretation by domestic courts. It is also possible to search the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. NB Subscription required)
www.lawtel.com
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (a statutory body established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, in compliance with the Good Friday Agreement, to ensure the full protection of the human rights of everyone in Northern Ireland)
www.nihrc.org
YourRights (Liberty’s online guide to human rights law in England and Wales)
www.yourrights.org.uk
updated 15/7/2009
