This guide focuses on locating Official Journal documents using resources in the Legal Research Center. For this guide we will use example citations from The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (18th ed.) (2005) Rule 21.8.2: European Union and European Community Materials.
The Official Journal, often abbreviated "O.J.", is the official daily gazette of the EU. Government gazettes such as the Official Journal are often useful as primary source documentation in research. The Official Journal is the preferred source for all legal enactments of the EU.
| RULE | TYPE OF DOCUMENT | EXAMPLE CITATION |
|---|---|---|
| 21.8.2 (a)(ii) | Legislative Acts | 1975 O.J. (L 337) 7. |
| 21.8.2 (a)(ii) | Regulations, Directives, and Decisions | Council Directive 66/45, art. 15, 1965-1966 O.J. SPEC. ED. 265, 268 (Euratom). |
| 21.8.2 (b)(i) | Other Publications | Council Common Position (EC) No. 57/2003 of 25 June 2003, art. 2, 2003 O.J. (C 277) 1, 2. |
| 21.8.2 (c) | Debates of the European Parliament | Remarks of President Ortoli, 1975 O.J. (Annex 193) 123 (July 9, 1975). |
| 21.8.2 (e) | Founding Treaties | Treaty of Amsterdam Amending the Treaty on European Union Treaties Establishing the European Communities and Certain Related Acts, Oct. 2, 1997, 1997 O.J. (C340) 1. |
| 21.8.2 (e) | Reports, Green Papers, and White Papers | Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the 'CoR Proposals for the Intergovernmental Conference,' 2004 O.J. (C 32) 1, 2. |
Note that each citation specifies the series (e.g. L 337 for the L series) or the part of the Official Journal where the document is published (e.g. Annex)
This depends on the series or part of the Official Journal cited.
The Official Journal is also available online in the following databases: