{{short description|Official gazette of the European Union}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}} {{Use British English|date=September 2016}} {{Infobox newspaper | name = Official Journal of the European Union | logo = | image = DenEuropæiskeUnionsTidendeSerieCEksempel.png | caption = | type = Daily [[government gazette|official journal]] | format = | owners = | founder = | publisher = [[European Union]] | editor = | chief_editor = | associate_editor = | managing_editor = | news_editor = | campus_editor = | campus_chief = | opinion_editor = | photo_editor = | staff_writers = | founded = {{Start date|1952|12|30|df=yes}} | political_position = | language = [[Languages of the European Union|Official languages of the EU member states]] | ceased_publication = | relaunched = | headquarters = [[European Union]] | circulation = | sister_newspapers = | ISSN = | oclc = | website = {{URL|http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html|eur-lex.europa.eu/oj}} | free = }} {{Politics of the European Union}} The '''''Official Journal of the European Union''''' (the '''''OJEU''''') is the [[official gazette]] of record for the [[European Union]] (EU). It is published every working day in all of the [[languages of the European Union|official languages]] of the [[member states of the EU]]. Only legal acts published in the ''Official Journal'' are [[contract|binding]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Journal of the European Union |url=https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/7-385-1433 |website=Practical Law Glossary |publisher=Thomson Reuters |access-date=7 June 2020}}</ref>

== History == It was first published on 30 December 1952 as the ''Official Journal of the [[European Coal and Steel Community]]'', then renamed ''Official Journal of the European Communities'' with the establishment of the [[European Community]], before taking its current title when the [[Treaty of Nice]] [[coming into force|entered into force]] on 1 February 2003.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Journal – History |url=https://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-10100.htm |website=Interinstitutional Style Guide |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |access-date=7 June 2020 |date=2020}}</ref>

Since 1998, the journal has been available online via the [[EUR-Lex]] service.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} On 1 July 2013, published issues of the ''Official Journal'' began to have legal value only in electronic form, per Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 216/2013.<ref>{{cite EU regulation |serial=216/2013 |date=7 March 2013 |description =on the electronic publication of the Official Journal of the European Union |eurlextag=32013R0216 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rehberg |first1=Jeanne |title=European Union Research: Official Journal |url=https://nyulaw.libguides.com/c.php?g=773841&p=5551686 |website=New York University Law Library |access-date=7 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> From this date, the printed version has lost its legal value.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About the electronic edition of the Official Journal - EUR-Lex|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/content/oj/e-oj.html|access-date=2020-06-22|website=eur-lex.europa.eu}}</ref> Each issue is published as a set of documents in [[PDF/A]] format (one per official language) plus one [[XML]] document ensuring the overall coherency through [[hash function|hashes]] and a ''qualified electronic signature'' (a kind of [[digital signature]] defined in [[European law]]) extended with a [[trusted timestamping|trusted time stamp]].<ref>{{cite EU regulation |serial=910/2014 |date=23 July 2014 |description =on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market and repealing Directive 1999/93/EC |eurlextag=32014R0910 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Francesconi |first1=Enrico |last2=Küster |first2=Marc W. |last3=Gratz |first3=Patrick |last4=Thelen |first4=Sebastian |title=Electronic Government and the Information Systems Perspective |date=2015 |editor-last=Kő |editor-first=Andrea |editor2-last=Francesconi |editor2-first=Enrico |chapter=The Ontology-Based Approach of the Publications Office of the EU for Document Accessibility and Open Data Services |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |conference=International Conference on Electronic Government and the Information Systems Perspective |location=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |volume=9265 |pages=29–39 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-22389-6_3 |isbn=978-3-319-22388-9}}</ref>

On 1 October 2023, the Official Journal switched to act-by-act publication. In this new production mode, the Official Journal is no longer a collation of acts with a table of contents. Instead, each act is published individually as an authentic Official Journal in PDF format.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/content/development/official-journal-act-by-act-is-here.html | title=The Official Journal act by act is here - EUR-Lex }}</ref>

== Publication == The journal comprises three series:<ref>{{cite web |title=Structure of the Official Journal |url=http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-110100.htm |website=Interinstitutional Style Guide |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |access-date=7 June 2020 |date=2019}}</ref> * The '''L&nbsp;series''' (= Legislation) contains [[EU legislation]] including [[EU regulation|regulations]], [[EU directive|directives]], decisions, recommendations, and opinions. * The '''C&nbsp;series''' (= Courts) contains reports and announcements, including the [[Judgment (law)|judgment]]s of the [[European Court of Justice]] and the [[General Court (European Union)|General Court]] (formerly known as the Court of First Instance). * The '''S&nbsp;series''' (= Supplement) contains invitations to tender for public contracts, along with other notices issued by the [[European Development Fund]] and other agencies.

== See also == * [[Community acquis]] * [[Directive (European Union)]] * [[EUR-Lex]] * [[European Documentation Centre]] * [[European Union law]] * [[List of government gazettes]] * ''[[Official Journal of the European Patent Office]]'' * [[Publications Office of the European Union]] * [[Public journal]] * ''[[Tenders Electronic Daily]]''

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html Online version of the ''Official Journal''] * [https://ted.europa.eu/TED/browse/browseByMap.do Online version of the ''OJEU Supplement'' ("Tenders Electronic Daily")] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071014021554/http://publications.europa.eu/official/index_en.htm Explanation of the ''Official Journal of the European Union'' from the EU Publications Office]

{{Official gazettes in the European Union}} {{European Union topics}} {{Authority control}}

[[Category:European Union law]] [[Category:Daily newspapers published in Luxembourg]] [[Category:Government gazettes]] [[Category:Government publications]] [[Category:Multilingual journals]] [[Category:Newspapers established in 1952]]