Europe Direct is a European information network designated by the European Commission . The target group is all citizens of the European Union .
7-550: Europe Direct includes EUROPE DIRECT Centres, European Documentation Centres (EDC), the EU Team EUROPE DIRECT speakers bureau and the call centre Europe Direct Contact Centre. The network was created in 2005 and restructured in February 2009. All European Direct offers are free of charge. Team Europe may require travel costs and a fee. The main aim of Europe Direct is to provide European citizens with general information on
14-624: A public contract. They are co-funded by the European Commission. European Documentation Centre A European Documentation Centre (EDC) is a body designated by the European Commission to collect and disseminate publications of the European Union for the purposes of research and education. There are 400 such centers in all member states of the EU. The mandate of an EDC
21-675: A university degree. Europe Direct support is available via telephone (free of charge within the EU and on a uniform number), e-mail or web-chat. The EU-wide network of 424 EUROPE DIRECT centres (including 7 in Ireland, 3 in Malta and one in Curaçao (launched in May 2021) ) are open to the public. The current generation of EUROPE DIRECT centres started its activities on 1 May 2021 and will continue until 2025. These centres are run by national or private organisations under
28-433: Is to receive all official EU publications, documents, contracts and electronic databases then make them available to researchers, educators, students, and interested members of the general public. The centers are also legal depositories of Acquis communautaire (EU law). Although primarily academic in nature, anyone can visit an EDC to consult official EU publications. European Documentation Centres were founded in 1963 by
35-561: The European Commission. EDCs are distinct from European Information Centers (EIC), which are geared more to the general public and consumer affairs. The official purpose of the centres is: The European Documentation Centres collect documents and publications that they receive from the various official institutions of the European Union. They also provide training and advice on the organisation and use of electronic information generated by EU institutions. EDCs also provide direct support to
42-422: The European Commission. They are predominantly located at universities , university libraries, affiliated academic institutions, and non-university research institutes , both public and private. EU policy is that at least one EDC should be located in each region of a European Union member state. Candidate states and other countries can also have a designated EDC, supported jointly with local university libraries and
49-546: The European Union. Other aims include the answering of questions on political activities of the European Union and promoting European integration . Advice and practical tips on rights entitled to Union citizens are provided. Inquiries to the Europe Direct Contact Centre, in any of the current 24 official languages, are processed in a central contact point and answered in the same language. The customer service staff must be fluent in at least three languages and have
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