WRITTEN QUESTION E-1845/96 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (5 July 1996)

Subject: Measures to improve the Community-wide distribution and publicization of the Official Journal

The importance of the multiple areas regulated by Community law is not always sufficiently reflected in the distribution and publicization of the legislation published in the Official Journal (OJ). There is not adequate provision for distributing this Community publication in all of the public and private contexts where there should be easy access to the information contained in its pages, knowledge of which is in many cases is absolutely vital.

It therefore appears desirable to review the distribution and publicization strategy for the OJ in order to ensure that every interested citizen knows where to obtain access to the information contained in this essential publication.

Can the Commission state whether it is interested in examining means of ensuring a more effective EU-wide distribution of the OJ, so that easy access to it is no longer the privilege of a few and there is full information on where it may be consulted in case of need and without obstacles by any citizen?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (5 September 1996)

The Commission shares the viewpoint of the Honourable Member with regard to the importance of Community law and the need to ensure that it is as accessible as possible. The Commission, together with the other institutions, is starting to give some thought to this problem.

The Official Journal of the European Communities is available on subscription or can be purchased on an individual basis from one of the sales agents for the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. (There are 22 of these throughout the Community). In most of the Member States, members of the public can obtain the Official Journal from the organisations or services which disseminate national law, since these also form part of the Publication Office's sales network. Other partners in this sales network operate through more commercial channels and are constantly encouraged to reach distribution agreements with specific sales outlets, such as bookshops.

Access to the information contained in the Official Journal can also be obtained via the different relay networks set up by the Commission and its representative bodies. The existing networks throughout the Member States include 471 European documentation centres located within universities, 13 copyright libraries, 268 Euroinfocentres serving small and medium-sized enterprises and 73 rural information centres.

In recent years, the electronic dissemination of information published in the Official Journal has been the focus of much activity. The Abel database, for example, contains summaries of the Official Journal which can be consulted in real time, and it is also possible to order individual items of legislation contained within them. This database can be accessed on-line both from the Publications Office and via the network of official gateways installed by the Office and covering all the Member States.

The Celex database, which can be accessed in the same way, contains all Community law, including legislation transmitted by the Official Journal. The operating licences issued for Celex help to increase the dissemination of Community law, improve the element of subsidiarity involved and impart a degree of value added to this exercise.

A new electronic archiving system for European documents will be marketed under the name of Eudor as of September 1996. This system will make it possible to consult, order and supply full texts (including consolidated legislation), both in paper form and by electronic transfer. There are plans to make Eudor accessible via the Internet in more 'traditional' networks.

In stating the above, it is not the opinion of the Commission that consultation of the Official Journal is a privilege reserved for a select few. It is also attempting to emphasise appropriate actions which draw attention to the texts published in the Official Journal.