The Official Journal (OJ) of the European Union is the official gazette of record for the European Union (EU). It is published every working day in all of the official languages of the member states. Only legal acts published in the Official Journal are binding.
It was first published on 30 December 1952 as the Official Journal of the European Coal and Steel Community. This was renamed Official Journal of the European Communities with the establishment of the European Community before taking its current title when the Treaty of Nice entered into force on 1 February 2003. Since 1998, the Journal has been available online via the EUR-Lex service.
The Journal comprises two series:
- The L series contains EU legislation including regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions.
- The C series contains reports and announcements including the judgments of the European Court of Justice and the General Court (formerly known as the Court of First Instance).
There is also a supplementary S series which contains invitations to tender, and other documents relating to the EU Procurement Directivs (see: Government procurement in the European Union). The 'S' Series is also the only series that is not issued in every working language of the Union. Each Contracting Authority issues notices in the language of their choice.
Famous quotes containing the words official, journal, european and/or union:
“All official institutions of language are repeating machines: school, sports, advertising, popular songs, news, all continually repeat the same structure, the same meaning, often the same words: the stereotype is a political fact, the major figure of ideology.”
—Roland Barthes (1915–1980)
“What the Journal posits is not the tragic question, the Madman’s question: “Who am I?”, but the comic question, the Bewildered Man’s question: “Am I?” A comic—a comedian, that’s what the Journal keeper is.”
—Roland Barthes (1915–1980)
“If Germany, thanks to Hitler and his successors, were to enslave the European nations and destroy most of the treasures of their past, future historians would certainly pronounce that she had civilized Europe.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)
“[Let] the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated. Let the open enemy to it be regarded as a Pandora with her box opened; and the disguised one, as the Serpent creeping with his deadly wiles into paradise.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)