New Handbook for European Studies Librarians

 University of Minnesota Libraries has published a free Handbook for European Studies Librarians (in e-book or PDF formats).

It has many subsections devoted to specific areas (e.g. "Iberian Studies") and topics (e.g. "Russian Federation: LGBTQIA+ Studies Resources").

Chapter 26 is devoted to European Legal Research:

"Researching the law of any European jurisdiction is often a multi-step process; librarians must first look to the domestic law of the individual jurisdiction, then determine what-if any-impact supranational organizations will have on the analysis. This chapter introduces librarians to the basics of European Union (EU) legal research, and briefly considers the impact of Council of Europe treaties in domestic human rights research. The second half of the chapter provides general guidance on researching the domestic law of a common law or civil law jurisdiction, focusing on how and where to find the law (whether statutes or codes) and cases, generally within the context of the civil versus common law distinction."

Updated GlobaLex Research Guides

The GlobaLex collection at the New York University Law School has updated a number of its research guides on international and comparative law:

• Comparative Civil Procedure: Finding Primary and Secondary Sources: "The comparison of legal systems has for a long time been an essential branch of legal research and jurisprudence. It has become even more important and relevant in our era of globalization, an era in which there is no field of law that can base its knowledge exclusively on national ideas and rules of procedure. Peter Gottwald sees the comparison of legal systems leading 'not only to a better knowledge of foreign law but also corresponding to the internationalization of law and jurisprudence, and the globalization of politics, of trade, commerce and private lifestyle.' (...) The first part of this article lists: general works of comparative civil procedure; basic books about the civil and common-law systems; and encyclopedias and treatises covering several jurisdictions. The remainder of the article is arranged by country. Depending upon the country, the sources listed may be in English or in the vernacular (or both in some cases). Under 'Primary Sources' are listed codes of civil procedure and civil procedure statutes and, for civil law jurisdictions, basic treatises, and commentaries. Under 'Secondary Sources' are listed monographs, treatises, and commentaries (for common law jurisdictions), which may also contain the text of civil procedure code sections and statutes. The section on 'Secondary Sources' also contains collected jurisprudence, as well as a few journals."
• The Council of Europe: "The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organization. It brings together 46 European states, including all the members of the European Union, representing 700 million citizens. Its mission is to promote democracy and protect human rights and the rule of law in Europe."
• Researching Global Health Law: "This 2023 update will again include a wide array of resources, ranging from primary international law instruments to databases that contain domestic health-related legislation. Also included are suggestions for researching the relationships between global health law and international human rights, trade, and intellectual property. In terms of format, the guide emphasizes electronic sources, but some print monographs are also mentioned. All of the listed resources are available in English, although several are multilingual. The aggregate purpose of the guide is to provide a comprehensive roadmap for researching the highly complex and dynamic field of global health law, which now includes the COVID-19 pandemic within its topical scope."
• Researching Nanotechnology and Selected Legal and Regulatory Issues: "The word ‘nano’ is derived from the Greek word ‘nanos’, meaning ‘dwarf’ or ‘very small man’. In the study of nanoscience and technology, this word is used to indicate a scale of measurement. Nanotechnology, according to the European Commission, is a branch of science and engineering that is devoted to designing, producing, and using structures, devices, and systems by manipulating atoms and molecules at the nanoscale, i.e., having one or more dimensions of the order of 100 nanometres (100 millionths of a millimeter) or less. In layman’s term, it is the study of nanoscale chemicals (...) At the beginning of this century, most of the developed countries started initiatives to exploit nanotechnologies treating these as ‘the wave of the future’. The policymakers and stakeholders involved in dealing with nanoparticles and nanomaterials have frequently endorsed nanotechnologies as important catalysts that promise to play a crucial role in harnessing the potentials of the so-called fourth industrial revolution. The legal and regulatory discussion on nanotechnology mostly rotates around the study of chemical substances, the environment, occupational health and safety, product liability, and consumer protection etc."

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

Recent additions include:

• Racial profiling
• Cannabis-based medication

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 46 member countries. Canada is an observer.

The ECHR is not to be confused with 2 other major international courts based in Europe:

• the Court of Justice of the European Union, based in Luxembourg, which ensures compliance with EU law by EU members states and rules on the interpretation and application of the treaties establishing the European Union
• the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations, based in The Hague

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

Recent additions include:

• Right to respect for family life of prisoners in remote penal facilities
• Independence of the justice system
• Use of force in the policing of demonstrations

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries. Canada is an observer.

The ECHR is not to be confused with 2 other major international courts based in Europe:

• the Court of Justice of the European Union, based in Luxembourg, which ensures compliance with EU law by EU members states and rules on the interpretation and application of the treaties establishing the European Union
• the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations, based in The Hague

New and Updated European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

Recent additions and updates include:

• Sexual orientation issues
• Gender identity issues
• Freedom of religion
• Hate speech
• Religious symbols and clothing
• End of life
• Police arrest and assistance of a lawyer
• Parental rights
• Reproductive rights

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently added new Factsheets on:

• Armed conflicts
• Extra-territorial jurisdiction
• Reproductive rights
• Terrorism

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently added new Factsheets on:

• Persons with disabilities
• Work-related rights
• New technologies
• Gender identity issues

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently added new Factsheets on:

• Domestic violence
• Political parties and associations
• Persons with disabilities
• Hunger strikes in detention
• Migrants in detention
• Elderly people

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects. The ECHR recently added new Factsheets on:

• International child abductions
• Secret detention sites
• Trafficking in human beings
• Religious symbols and clothing

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

European Court of Human Rights Updated Country Profiles

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recently updated factsheets for each of the 47 European countries that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.

Factsheets contain court statistics as well as noteworthy cases related to each country.

The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights.

New Website for the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), based in Strasbourg, has a new website.

Among the many new features:

• an enhanced search option
• dynamic news feeds
• more comprehensive information on the Court and the Registry

Also worth a look are the sections about the Library, thematic Factsheets on important cases and pending hearings, and country profiles.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

European Court of Human Rights Monthly Information Notes Now Easier to Find

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) based in Strasbourg has made it easier to find and search its Information Notes.

These notes are a monthly round-up, in the form of legal summaries, of the most interesting judgments, decisions and communicated cases. Each summary has a headnote and is classified by the article(s) of the European Convention on Human Rights to which the case relates and by keywords.

It is possible to search for  individual summaries from the Information Notes from 1998 to date by selecting the ‘Legal summaries’ box in the Document collections in the HUDOC database and using all the available search criteria and filters.

The Court has created a mini-tutorial with more information.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

European Court of Human Rights Guide on Forced Labour Case-law

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) based in Strasbourg has launched a new series of studies on its case-law relating to particular articles of the European Convention Of Human Rights.

The most recent guide in the series deals with art. 4 on the prohibition of slavery and forced labour.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the Convention. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

European Court of Human Rights 2012 Annual Report

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) based in Strasbourg has released its annual report for 2012. There are also some interesting statistical tables that come with the document.

Among the highlights:

• The  table  of  violations  by  country  showed  that  the State with  the  highest
  number of judgments finding at least one violation of the Convention delivered against it had  been  Russia  (122  judgments),  followed  by  Turkey  (117),  Romania  (70),  Ukraine (69), Bulgaria (58), Poland (56) and Greece (52). The total number of judgments was 1,093
• One of the major innovations was the replacement of the HUDOC database, which had been in service for over a decade, with a new, completely redesigned system
• The Court has published over 40 Factsheets containing snapshots of the most interesting decided and pending cases by theme, including children’s
  rights, data protection, the environment, forced labour and trafficking,
  gender identity, mental health, new technologies, protection of
  journalistic sources, Roma and Travellers, and violence against women

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New European Court of Human Rights Factsheet on Protection of Journalistic Sources

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently published a factsheet on the protection of journalistic sources.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

European Court of Human Rights Guides on Case-Law

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) based in Strasbourg has launched a new series of studies on its case-law relating to particular articles of the European Convention Of Human Rights.

The first guide in the series deals with art. 5 on the right to liberty and security.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the Convention. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New Factsheets from the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently added new Factsheets on the right to life, companies and taxation. They include key cases and pending applications before the Court.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New Work-Related Factsheet from European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a new Factsheet on Work-related rights.

The ECHR has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.


The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.

New Case Database for European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights has launched a new version of HUDOC, its database of case-law.

The new interface is intended to be more intuitive and to allow for easier filtering of search results by various facets such as country, relevant article of the European Convention of Human Rights, topic, etc.

Updated European Court of Human Rights Factsheets

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has published a series of Factsheets that describe important jurisprudence of the institution on a number of subjects.

The ECHR recently updated its Factsheets on hate speech,the treatment of the Roma minority, and child protection.

The ECHR hears complaints from individuals living in any of the member states of the Council of Europe about violations of the European Convention of Human Rights. The Council of Europe is one of the continent's oldest political organizations, founded in 1949. It has 47 member countries.