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3.2. References to an act

3.2.1. Forms of title

The title of an act can take two forms: full title or short title.

When an act is cited for the first time in the body of another act, the full title is given, and the reference to the Official Journal in which it was published is always given in a footnote. In citations, the full title is given in the body of the text, while in recitals, articles and annexes it is given in the footnote.

For later references to an act previously cited, the short title is used, without mentioning the author or the Official Journal reference.

Full title

The components of the full title of an act are:

the type of act (regulation, directive, etc.),
the number (that is, the abbreviation(s) that apply (‘EU’, ‘Euratom’, ‘EU, Euratom’, ‘CFSP’), the year and the sequential number of the act),
the name of the author of the act,
the date of adoption (the date of signature for acts adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council),
the subject matter,
in acts with double numbering, the number assigned by the author (see ‘Double numbering’ in Section 1.2.2).

The order of these components varies according to the language. In English, the components of the full title are not separated by commas.

The full title is always given with a reference to the Official Journal in which the act was published. In citations, the full title is given in the text and the reference in a footnote:

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2015/476 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2015 on the measures that the Union may take following a report adopted by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body concerning anti-dumping and anti-subsidy matters (1) …

(1)
OJ L 83, 27.3.2015, p. 6, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/476/oj.

When an act is cited for the first time in a recital, article or annex, its full title is given in a footnote together with the Official Journal reference:

(14)
It is considered that securities financing transactions, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2015/2365 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2), do not contribute to the price discovery process …
(2)
Regulation (EU) 2015/2365 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on transparency of securities financing transactions and of reuse and amending Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 (OJ L 337, 23.12.2015, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/2365/oj).
NB:
The citation of the full title includes all the words in the title, such as ‘and amending …’ or ‘and repealing …’, but not any words added below it: ‘codification’, ‘recast’, etc.

Short title

The short title is used in recitals, articles and annexes. Its components are:

the type of act,
the number (that is, the abbreviation(s) that apply (‘EU’, ‘Euratom’, ‘EU, Euratom’, ‘CFSP’), the year and the sequential number of the act),
the name of the author of the act, when first cited,
in acts with double numbering, the number assigned by the author (see ‘Double numbering’ in Section 1.2.2).
(45)
Purebred breeding animals entered in breeding books should be identified in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2).

[…]

(2)
Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/429/oj).

The short title without the author and without footnote is used for the later references of an act already cited:

(46)
In the case of purebred breeding animals of the equine species, Regulation (EU) 2016/429 provides …
NB:
When a precise delegated or implementing act is cited, either with its full or its short title, the indication of the type of act always contains the term ‘delegated’ or ‘implementing’:
The Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.

On the other hand, the indication of the type of act does not include the term ‘delegated’ or ‘implementing’ when, in the text of the act, reference is made to the act, for example: ‘Has adopted this Regulation’, ‘the Annex to this Regulation’, ‘This Directive is addressed to the Member States’, ‘Article 2 of this Decision’, etc.

Last updated: 1.10.2023
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