Where will my text be published?

The Official Journal comprises two series: the L series (Legislation) and the C series (Information and Notices) which also includes the OJ C A (the Annex, where competitions or vacancy notices are published). On 1 January 2016, the OJ L I and OJ C I were put in place to allow for greater flexibility in the event of a change in the planned content of the Official Journal.

It is up to the institution, body or agency in question to determine the series and the heading under which a text must be published according to the structure of the OJ which was established by the institutions following the Lisbon Treaty.

In case of doubts about the choice of series or heading of the type of document at hand, we will assist you in confirming your instruction, based on an expert knowledge base.

Since 1 July 2013 only the electronic version of the Official Journal is authentic and produces legal effects (more information on the legal value of the electronic version).

Subscriptions to the paper version have been discontinued by the end of 2013 and since the beginning of 2014 only a few physical copies are printed as backup.

How long does it take for my text to appear in the Official Journal?

We make every effort to ensure that your documents are published as rapidly as possible, but simultaneous production in all the official languages is a complex and technically demanding process.

As a general guide, the publication timeframe from reception of all files for documents of up to around 30 pages is from 1 to 5 working days, and for documents of more than 500 pages, at least 20 working days. When planning the publication of a large document, it is always a good idea to give us prior warning to allow for an optimal allocation of resources to the task. If the document is complex, either by its content structure, unusual formatting or embedded graphic elements, or when extraordinary expediency is expected, it is also possible to send a pilot version or a sample of the possible difficulties for evaluation.

The time needed for publication is influenced by factors such as the type and complexity of the document, its stage of finalisation in regard to its adoption procedure and of possible corrections or verifications needed to investigate and/or carry out in a collaborative action by you, translation services, the institution's secretariat general and us in case of divergences between linguistic versions.

Please note that for the C A subseries:

• typically the minimum period between the reception of the manuscript files and the publication of the OJ is 10 working days, and
• since only one number (issue) of the C A OJ is published per day, the publication date needs to be reserved in advance.

Who will take care of the layout and typography of the publication?

As a standard service, we will provide professional care and attention to the layout and typography of any publication, in line with the best practice and presentation rules of the Official Journal, and with particular attention to the structure provided by you as well as to the consistency of the presentation throughout large documents. We take into account presentation choices prevalent in previous similar publications as well as ad hoc solutions proposed by you consistent with best practices as laid out in the Inter-institutional Style Guide. We base our work on a wide knowledge base of OJ publications in various technical fields with their specific requirements. We will be happy to provide guidance and help in any questions of layout, style, structuring of complex tables or lists, the use of technical symbols and characters and the embedding of graphics or links during the preparation process of a publication.

Who bears the cost of publishing in the Official Journal?

Since 1 January 2020, any cost of publishing in the Official Journal is covered by the budget of the Publications Office.