Stefaan Smis is Professor at the Department of International and European Law of the Faculty of Law and Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Reader at the School of Law of the University of Westminster.

About the first edition: 'Thankfully, faith in method is restored through a task successfully undertaken and completed by the authors of this work. [...] This work is intended to serve as a compass to anyone who needs to safely navigate the waters of European regional organisation research, and it serves its purpose well. The authors make their presentation and analysis in a consise, informative and direct way that is comfortable even with those who are unfamiliar with the subject. Overall, this book is recommended both as a starting point and as reference material' A.G. Fessas in in 2010 Revue Hellenique de droit international 1021

• CONTENTSList of abbreviations I. Introduction II. The Council of Europe 2.1. Background information 2.2. What is the Council of Europe? 2.3. Organs of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights 2.3.1. The Committee of Ministers 2.3.2. The Parliamentary Assembly 2.3.3. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 2.3.4. The Commissioner for Human Rights 2.3.5. The European Court of Human Rights 2.4. How to find the law of the Council of Europe? 2.4.1. Council of Europe treaties 2.4.2. Instruments and documents of the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the consultative organs 2.4.2.1. Documents of the Committee of Ministers 2.4.2.2. Documents of the Parliamentary Assembly 2.4.2.3. Documents of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 2.4.2.4. Documents of the Commissioner for Human Rights 2.4.3. Documents of the European Court of Human Rights 2.4.3.1. Basic texts 2.4.3.2. Case law 2.4.3.2.1. HUDOC 2.4.3.2.2. Case law information 2.4.3.2.2.1. Indexes to Case law 2.4.3.2.2.2. List of judgments 2.4.3.2.2.3. Subject matter of judgments 2.4.3.2.2.4. Execution of judgments 2.4.3.3. Pending cases 2.4.3.4. The European Commission of Human Rights 2.5. How to read judgments and decisions of the ECtHR 2.5.1. Structure2.5.2. Binding character of judgments of the ECtHR III. The European Union 3.1. Background information 3.2. What is the European Union? 3.3. The institutions and bodies 3.3.1. Institutions3.3.1.1. The European Parliament 3.3.1.2. The European Council 3.3.1.3. The Council 3.3.1.4. The Commission 3.3.1.5. The Court of Justice of the EU 3.3.1.6. The European Central Bank 3.3.1.7. The Court of Auditors 3.3.2. Bodies 3.3.2.1. The Economic and Social Committee 3.3.2.2. The Committee of the Regions 3.3.2.3. The European Investment Bank 3.3.2.4. Other organs 3.4. EU law 3.4.1. Primary law 3.4.2. Secondary law 3.4.2.1. Policy areas where the Commission has an exclusive right to submit proposals 3.4.2.2. CFSP 3.4.2.3. Area of freedom, security and justice 3.4.3. How EU law is made 3.4.3.1. Primary law 3.4.3.1.1. Under the Treaty of Nice 3.4.3.1.2. Under the Treaty of Lisbon 3.4.3.2. Secondary law 3.4.3.2.1. Under the Treaty of Nice 3.4.3.2.1.1. Community legislation 3.4.3.2.1.2. Second and third pillar legislation 3.4.3.2.2. Under the Treaty of Lisbon 3.4.4. Certain principles of EU law 3.4.4.1. The principle of enumerated powers 3.4.4.2. The principle of direct effect in EU law 3.4.4.2.1. The Treaties and regulations 3.4.4.2.2. Directives and decisions 3.4.4.2.2.1. Vertical direct effect 3.4.4.2.2.2. Horizontal direct effect 3.4.4.3. Supremacy of EU law 3.5. Where to find European law 3.5.1. EUR-LEX 3.5.1.1. Official Journal of the European Union 3.5.1.1.1. Series and Supplement 3.5.1.1.1.1. L Series 3.5.1.1.1.2. C Series 3.5.1.1.1.3. Supplement 3.5.1.2. Searching in EUR-LEX 3.5.1.2.1. Homepage 3.5.1.2.2. Official Journal 3.5.1.2.3. EU law and related documents 3.5.1.2.3.1. Treaties 3.5.1.2.3.2. Legislation 3.5.1.2.3.3. Consolidated legislation 3.5.1.2.3.4. EFTA documents 3.5.1.2.3.5. Preparatory acts 3.5.1.2.3.6. EU case-law 3.5.1.2.3.7. Parliamentary questions 3.5.1.2.3.8. International agreements 3.5.1.2.4. National law 3.5.1.2.4.1. N-Lex 3.5.1.2.4.2. National implementing measures 3.5.1.2.4.3. National case-law 3.5.1.2.4.4. JURE 3.5.1.2.5. Legislative procedures 3.5.1.2.6. More 3.5.1.2.7. Display of results 3.5.1.2.7.1. Legislation 3.5.1.2.7.2. Case law 3.5.1.3. Advanced search 3.5.1.4. Collections 3.5.1.4.1. Summaries of EU legislation 3.5.1.4.2. International agreements 3.5.1.4.2.1. Agreements database of the Council 3.5.1.4.2.2. Treaties Office Database 3.5.1.4.3. Legislation in force 3.5.1.4.4. Parliamentary questions 3.5.2. OEIL 3.5.2.1. Search 3.5.2.2. Selected topics 3.5.3. PreLex 3.5.4. Bulletin of the European Union 3.5.5. Documents of the individual institutions and bodies 3.5.5.1. European Parliament 3.5.5.1.1. Documents published on the website of the European Parliament 3.5.5.1.2. Public register of European Parliament documents 3.5.5.2. The Council 3.5.5.2.1. Documents published on the website of the Council 3.5.5.2.2. Register of Council documents 3.5.5.3. The Commission 3.5.5.3.1. Register of COM, SEC and C Documents 3.5.5.3.2. Register of Comitology of the European Commission 3.5.5.3.3. Application of Union law 3.5.5.3.4. Green papers and white papers 3.5.5.4. The Court of Justice, the General Court and the Civil Service Tribunal 3.5.5.4.1. Numeral access to case law 3.5.5.4.2. Search form 3.5.5.4.3. Digest of case law 3.5.5.4.4. Alphabetical table of subject matter 3.5.5.4.5. Annotation of judgments 3.5.5.4.6. Opinions of the Advocates-General 3.5.5.4.6.1. EUR-LEX 3.5.5.4.6.2. Reports of Cases before the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance 3.5.5.5. Court of Auditors 3.5.5.6. European Council 3.5.5.7. Economic and Social Committee 3.5.5.8. Committee of the Regions 3.5.5.9. Other bodies 3.5.6. IPEX 3.6. How to read European law 3.6.1. Legislation 3.6.1.1. Primary law 3.6.1.2. Secondary law 3.6.1.2.1. Structure 3.6.1.2.1.1. Title 3.6.1.2.1.2. Preamble 3.6.1.2.2. Interpretation 3.6.2. Orders and judgments 3.6.2.1. Structure 3.6.2.2. Binding character of preliminary rulings IV. European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area 4.1. Background information 4.2. What are the EFTA and the EEA? 4.3. EFTA and EEA institutions 4.3.1. The EFTA Council 4.3.2. The EFTA Surveillance Authority 4.3.3. The EFTA Court 4.3.4. The Standing Committee of the EFTA states 4.3.5. The EEA Council 4.3.6. The EEA Joint Committee 4.3.7. The EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee 4.3.8. The EEA Consultative Committee 4.4. How to find the law of the EFTA and EEA 4.4.1. Documents of the EFTA Council 4.4.2. Documents of the EFTA Surveillance Authority 4.4.3. Documents of the EFTA Court 4.4.4. Documents of the EEA Joint Committee, the EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee and the EEA Consultative Committee V. The Western European Union 5.1. Background information 5.2. What is the Western European Union? 5.3. WEU institutions 5.3.1. The Council of the WEU 5.3.2. The Assembly 5.4. How to find documents of the WEU VI. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 6.1. Background information 6.2. What is the OSCE? 6.3. The bodies of the OSCE 6.3.1. The Council 6.3.2. The Parliamentary Assembly 6.3.3. The Secretariat 6.3.4. Permanent Council 6.3.5. Court of Conciliation and Arbitration 6.4. How to Find OSCE Instruments 6.4.1. Documents of the OSCE institutions 6.4.2. Online databases VII. The Benelux 7.1. Background information 7.2. What is the Benelux? 7.3. Institutions of the Benelux 7.3.1. The Committee of Ministers 7.3.2. The Interparliamentary Consultative Council7.3.3. The Council 7.3.4. The Benelux Court of Justice 7.4. How to find the documents of the Benelux 7.4.1. Documents of the Interparliamentary Consultative Council 7.4.2. Documents of the Benelux Court of Justice 7.5. How to read a judgment of the Benelux Court of Justice 7.5.1. Structure7.5.2. Binding character of judgments of the Benelux Court of Justice VIII. Conclusion