Official Journal of the EU: electronic publication

PURPOSE: to ensure that the Official Journal is published in electronic form, which will be authentic and produce legal effects, in order to allow better access to EU law.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EU) No 216/2013 on the electronic publication of the Official Journal of the European Union.

CONTENT: the Regulation provides that, as a general rule, only the Official Journal published in electronic form shall be authentic and shall produce legal effects. The electronic edition of the Official Journal shall be made available to the public on the EUR-Lex website in a non-obsolete format and for an unlimited period. Its consultation shall be free of charge.

Where it is not possible to publish the electronic edition of the Official Journal due to an unforeseen and exceptional disruption of the information system of the Publications Office, the information system shall be restored as soon as possible.

Where it is necessary to publish the Official Journal when the information system of the Publications Office is not operational pursuant to a disruption, only the printed edition of the Official Journal shall be authentic and produce legal effects.

With regard to the electronic edition of the Official Journal, the Publications Office shall be responsible for: (i) publishing it and guaranteeing its authenticity; (ii) managing the information system producing the electronic edition of the Official Journal, and upgrading that system in line with future technical developments.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 01/07/2013.