1.2. L series
1.2.1. Classification of acts
Acts are classified by heading (L I, L II, etc.) and subheading (‘Regulations’, ‘Directives’, etc.) in the order given below (see also the structure of the Official Journal on EUR-Lex).
Under each heading, acts are classified according to:
Under Heading L II, subheadings ‘Regulations’, ‘Directives’ and ‘Decisions’, in accordance with the order mentioned above and for the authors concerned, the acts are classified in the following order:
For examples, see ‘Summary tables’.
Headings
The L series of the Official Journal includes the following headings.
L I – Legislative acts
This heading covers ‘legislative acts’ (within the meaning of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)): regulations, directives and decisions that are adopted:
Legislative acts also cover the annual budget of the European Union (along with any related amending budgets), as it is adopted according to a special legislative procedure.
The European Union’s ‘annual budget’ was previously called the ‘general budget’. In 2022, the title of the act definitely adopting the budget changed accordingly (‘Definitive adoption of the European Union’s annual budget’).
Before 1 December 2009, the budget of the European Union was published under Heading L II (Non-legislative acts), with the adopting act titled ‘Final adoption of the general budget of the European Union’. The statements of revenue and expenditure of the agencies that were published in the L series are now to be found in the C series.
L II – Non-legislative acts
This heading covers ‘non-legislative acts’ within the meaning of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: regulations, directives and decisions that are not adopted by legislative procedure (delegated acts (Article 290) and implementing acts (Article 291) and acts based directly on the Treaties (acts relating to international agreements, CFSP decisions, etc.)), along with other acts, such as recommendations and ECB guidelines.
L III – Other acts
This heading covers together the ‘other acts’, such as those of the European Economic Area.