Developments in European information issues: Networks and relays – Services – Products, January 2003

European Court of Justice site

For those accustomed to being greeted by a colour picture of the 'rusty building' when accessing the home page of the European Court of Justice, a surprise is in store. The Court's web site has been revamped and the content boosted, though at present some of the material is available in French only. There are four main entry points plus a link to Practical information, which gives contact details and information about visits, maps, documentation and multimedia materials. Once past the home page it is possible to navigate via the four section headings in the top menu bar. Sub-headings are then listed on the left of the screen. The bottom menu allows you to return to the home page or connects you to press releases, the search facilities, contact details, links to national member states' legal web sites, the site map and the index.

Under the Institution section there is a useful introduction to the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance and their operating procedures. More information can be found about the different departments such as Registry, Interpretation, Library, Research and documentation, and Translation. It is intended to make the Library's catalogue public though this has not yet happened. The bi-monthly new acquisitions list is however available. The Translation service records that the volume of work it deals with totals a daunting 360,000 pages per year. Also in the Institution section are the texts of a range of documents including the statutes of the Court, the rules of procedure, IGC papers on the future of the judicial system and notes for the guidance of Counsel.

Under Proceedings, a Guide for users outlines what information is available and when and how it is issued. There are links to information about the lodging of procedural documents, to search tools such as the Digest of Community Law, Alphabetical Index of Subject-matter, and Annotations of the Judgements, and to the case-law database containing the full text of judgements and opinions from mid 1997 to date. Note the warning however that these electronic texts are not binding and may be altered. The authoritative version is that published in the printed Reports of Cases before the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance.

Under Judicial Cooperation are extracts from the annual monitoring reports on the application of Community law concerning decisions of national courts, and the Brussels and Lugano Conventions. Finally News contains press releases, Proceedings of the Court of Justice and Court of First Instance of the European Communities from 1997 to date, the diary of the Court and announcements of events. To explore the changes visit http://www.curia.eu.int/

Changes to Lexis/Nexis Professional EU information

Though the content itself has not changed the presentation of EU information has been reorganised to make clearer what the files actually are and what is available. News was previously only picked up when accessing the EU data via the Regions/Countries route but it has now been linked in through Legislation as well. The Human Rights data, which is not EU, is to be moved from the EU section, though it will of course remain accessible in the database. Case law now shows as CELEX Cases to distinguish them from Butterworths own selected cases. Both options are available. The legal and preparatory documents are also now marked as CELEX, identifying the source of the data. Butterworths home page is being redesigned though you can still use the http://www.butterworths.com site. To see the new style of web site presentation and find more information on Lexis/Nexis visit http://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/

OJ Online Plus to be launched in January

The new OJ Online Plus is due to be released in January 2003. Judging by the demonstration version available at the Online Exhibition in December, the development seems to be on target. The new service will contain the existing OJ Online data plus content from the EU Aware service, which will cease as a separate product. So not only will this new resource provide legal and judicial information - it will also give coverage of the background news and documentation to put it in context, and it will be updated daily. The search interface retains its familiar feel but a number of improvements have been included.

The menu in the left frame makes navigation straightforward at all times. The new Quick Search screen offers the most frequently used search fields and adds examples of how queries should be entered. The Quick Track search feature is also new and enables users to gain an overview of the progress of a case or a proposal. Use the document reference number to trace the history to date. The Detailed Search allows users to select from thirty different fields, including nicknames (where directives are more commonly referred to by an unofficial title). Using the index to identify terms will improve results. Once a reference has been identified, the contents page allows users to move, for example, directly to a specific article of a directive. The Official Journal search is now merged to cover both the L and C series, though limiting the search to one or other can be achieved by checking the relevant box. Another new addition is the EU Treaties search screen, available from the left menu bar, though the complete texts of the treaties and the consolidated versions now included can also be searched via the Detailed Search screen. The major addition to the product is the EU News section, which provides daily updates from twenty-five different agencies and institutions. The search can be conducted across all news records or restricted to specific bodies as required.

New software means that it is now possible to create and save searches, view search histories and set up an alert profile. Not only can documents be printed or downloaded, they can also be e-mailed - to a colleague if required.

To keep an eye on developments visit the Ellis web site at http://www.ellispub.com/. Two-week free trials will be offered. Contact Tom Delsaer at t.delsaer@ellispub.com to arrange for a password.

Ellis Publications form part of the Thomson group and data from OJ Online is supplied to other Thomson services such as Westlaw. For the time being it will be the basic OJ Online data rather than the enhanced OJ Online Plus content which will be included in Westlaw.

European Competition Law Online

Also from Ellis Publications is the European Competition Law CD-ROM. It contains EC competition legislation and case law, merger decisions, the relevant treaty articles, commentary on the rules, new proposals, state aid information and press releases. The CD-ROM is updated quarterly - not frequently enough for this key area. The launching of an online service, expected for February 2003, will therefore be welcomed. The new product will be updated daily and will have the same interface and functionality as the CD-ROM. Trials will be offered and can be requested by sending a fax to +31(0)43-325-3959 or an e-mail to sales@ellispub.com