Access to European Union law
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Access to European Union law

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Why implement the European Legislation Identifier (ELI)?

What are the benefits?

Adopting ELI improves the quality and reliability of legislative information available online. ELI uses stable identifiers, shared data models and structured metadata to ensure that different information systems can work together smoothly, even across different legal systems.

ELI also makes it easier for people to find legal information online. By improving search engine visibility, these standards give more access to legislation and draft proposals, making it simpler for everyone to locate the information they need.

Standardising legislation through ELI unlocks new opportunities for services that support both the legislative and publication processes. These services help simplify tasks and make legislative information more accessible and valuable. Users who can benefit from ELI metadata include private legal publishers, who can read, add or use ELI metadata to improve their content and develop new services.

ELI also reduces costs by improving the flow of information and speeding up the publication of laws and related materials. This efficiency benefits government bodies and organisations that need quick access to up-to-date legislative data. For example, the official journal of a given country can retrieve ELI metadata from the Publications Office’s common data repository (known as Cellar) and can use this metadata directly inside its own information system.

Lastly, ELI standards promote transparency and government accountability. By supporting the release of open data, ELI also ensures that legislative information is accessible to the public, fostering openness and transparency.

The ‘European legal space’ refers to the diverse system of laws applicable in the EU. This space is particularly complex due to the interdependence between national and EU laws and the growing involvement of individuals and businesses in cross-border activities within the EU’s single market. It is essential for individuals and businesses in the EU to have easy access to clear information about their rights and obligations, whether these arise from EU or national laws, across all EU jurisdictions.

To meet this need, the Publications Office has set a strategic goal for 2017-2025 to develop the Digital European Legal Space (DELS). This initiative aims to create a digital environment where EU law is easily accessible across languages, seamlessly navigable and easier to understand. Achieving this goal relies heavily on interoperable digital solutions that adhere to common standards.

ELI will play a major role in making this legal space a reality with the help of the tools and initiatives described below.

New N-Lex: an ELI-based project

One essential tool is N-Lex​ , a search interface that links to national legislation websites in each EU country and now features a new ELI-based search feature. With N-Lex, users can search for national laws in any EU language and view information from multiple countries at once. It also has additional features, such as checking the status of EU directives and viewing statistics.

The main goals of N-Lex are to:

  1. make it easier to find and browse legal texts across EU Member States;
  2. connect related national and EU laws, helping users understand how laws are linked;
  3. provide innovative tools that make it easier for both the public and businesses to use legal information.

Last update: 14 Ocotber 2025