Much information about the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom's 2016 referendum can be found online.
National Library of Scotland curators have gathered a collection useful of websites and resources about the EU and the referendum.
Key official publications
Official publications take you to the source of the information. You can find an insight into government policy, research and analysis, usually without journalistic bias or factual inaccuracy.
- European Union Referendum Act 2015: Announced in the Queen's Speech and published on 28 May 2015, the Act received Royal Assent in December 2015
- UK Government's review of the balance of competencies: Between 2012 and the end of 2014, the Coalition Government published a review of the balance of competences between the EU and the UK
- 'Trends in differentiation of EU Law and lessons for the future': A legal analysis of the ways in which treaties have been adapted in the past, written for the European Parliament by Professor Steve Peers
- 'EU referendum: UK proposals, legal impact of an exit and alternatives to membership': A detailed research paper on exiting the EU, from the House of Commons Library
- 'The best of both worlds: the United Kingdom's special status in a reformed European Union': The UK government's February 2016 publicaton detailing the case for remaining as a member of a reformed EU.
European Union treaties
The European Union's treaties resource gives access to many treaties which provide insight into the laws which established and govern the EU. EU treaties available to read online include:
- Treaties of Rome (1958): Set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
- Maastrict Treaty (1993): Established the EU and new forms of cooperation between EU governments
- Treaty of Amsterdam (1999): Reformed the EU institutions in preparation for future member countries
- Treaty of Nice (2003): Reformed the institutions after reaching 25 member countries
- Treaty of Lisbon (2009): Clarified which powers belong to the EU, to member countries, and which are shared.
Other online resources
Online you can find a wide selection of reading material to inform you about the EU past and present, and the 2016 referendum. Our curators have put together a short list of suggested resources elsewhere on the web:
- 'Britain's decision' e-book
- European Union
- European Commission
- European Commission Library and e-resources
- European Council
- European Library
- European Parliament
- Full fact: An independent fact-checking charity
- The UK in a changing Europe
- UK Government's EU referendum site