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Official Journal

The Official Journal of the European Union (OJ) is the main source of EUR-Lex content. It appears in the official EU languages in 2 series:

Within these series, there are 3 subseries:

Find out more about OJ L and C series.

An OJ number comprises:

  • the letter denoting the series – L or C

  • followed by up to 3 digits

  • in some cases, followed by the letter denoting the subseries.

See the table below.

 Series LContent 

 L (Legislation) (i.e. OJ L 067)

 Contains all EU legislation (including secondary legislation).
Subseries   

 LI (Isolated) (i.e. OJ L 011I)

 A subseries introduced to make the planning and numbering of OJ more flexible. First used on 16 January 2016 (L 011I).
LM (i.e. OJ L 118M) The M subseries has so far been used only to publish the backlog of Maltese-language material as, by derogation, not all acts were published in Maltese initially, after Malta joined the EU in 2004.
 
Series C Content 

 C (Information and notices) 

(i.e. OJ C 100)

  Other official documents from the EU institutions, bodies and agencies.
 Subseries  

 CA (Annex)  (i.e. OJ C 019A)

  Contains vacancy notices and calls for expressions of interest. Can be published in one, several or all official languages.

 CI (Isolated) (i.e. OJ C 015I)

  A subseries introduced to make the planning and numbering of OJ more flexible. First used on 16 January 2016 (C 015I).

 

 Historical series

  • A and P - for legislative acts published before 1967.

  • CE - for electronic documents published between 1999 and 2014.  
 Historical series A and PContent 

A (1952-1958) (i.e. OJ A 038)

  'A' stands for French 'antérieur' , i.e. before the European Communities were set up. It covers legislative acts dating from 1952 to April 1958.

P (1958 - 1967) (i.e. OJ P 050)

  'P' stands for French 'postérieur', i.e. after the European Communities were set up. It covers legislative acts dating from May 1958 to 1967.
 Subseries

CE (Electronic) (i.e. OJ C 296E)

For electronic versions only.

Published between 31 August 1999 and 31 March 2014, originally at the Commission's request, for COM documents. Later, the subseries was also used by:

  • the Council - to publish common positions

  • the European Parliament - for various document types (minutes of plenary sittings, adopted texts, written questions).

Documents which would once have been published in this subseries are now part of the C series.

Page last updated on 25 September 2020