European Union Documentation: European Union Overview

The Library for International and Public Affairs is the regional depository in Southern California for all materials produced by the European Union dating back to 1951, when the Treaty Establishing the European Coal and Steel Community combined three institutions—the European Economic Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community —to form the European Communities.  Later, the 1992 Treaty on European Union established a political and economic structure known as the European Union.

The 28 member states of the European Union are:  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom. 

The collection is part of a network of depository libraries intended to give Americans access to all official publications of the EU. The Library automatically receives one copy of most EU books, statistical reports and journals. The official publications contain information ranging from policy developments in all sectors of EU activity to statistics on trade, demographics, agriculture, transport, energy and economic indicators. Of particular importance is the Official Journal of the European Union, the EU equivalent of the United States Federal Register. The depository collection also contains legislative proposals and communications of the Commission in their original, "COM," document form, reports and debates of the European Parliament, Opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee, and decisions of the European Court of Justice.