The daily gazette that holds the legal power of the entire European Union

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Every working day, a digital publication determines what is legally binding across the European Union. Known as the Official Journal, this gazette has evolved from a printed record into a sophisticated, act-by-act electronic system. It is the definitive source for all EU legislation, court rulings, and public contract tenders.

The Official Journal of the European Union, or OJEU, serves as the primary gazette of record for the bloc. Its history traces back to its initial release on 30 December 1952, when it debuted as the gazette for the European Coal and Steel Community. Over the decades, it underwent several name changes as the governing bodies evolved, eventually adopting its current title when the Treaty of Nice took effect on 1 February 2003.

The publication process has undergone a radical digital transformation. While it moved online via the EUR-Lex service in 1998, a major shift occurred on 1 July 2013. Under Regulation (EU) No 216/2013, the electronic version became the only legally valid format, rendering printed copies legally obsolete. Today, each issue is published as a collection of PDF/A documents, secured by XML files that utilize digital signatures and trusted time stamps to ensure authenticity.

As of 1 October 2023, the journal abandoned its traditional format of collated acts with tables of contents. It now operates on an act-by-act basis, where every individual legal act is published as its own authentic document. The journal is divided into three distinct series: the L series for legislation like regulations and directives, the C series for court judgments and announcements, and the S series, which covers public contract tenders and notices from agencies like the European Development Fund.

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