Methodology
Data sources and plain-language method
The project turns official EU activity into citizen-readable summaries. The official record remains the authority.
Last updated: 8 July 2026
Current data status
Status: OK. The latest local health snapshot was generated on 8 July 2026 at 15:09 UTC from official-source ingestion checks.
The public site keeps this status deliberately simple: it tells readers whether the data layer is healthy, while detailed internal diagnostics remain separate from citizen-facing pages.
Primary sources
EU Democracy Hub uses public EU records and feeds, including EUR-Lex, Publications Office/CELLAR records, European Parliament procedure data, Council and European Council sources, European Commission pages, ECB publications, CJEU activity and Court of Auditors activity where available.
What “source-backed” means
A source-backed item has an official source URL, official identifier, procedure reference or public EU record behind it. We avoid presenting unsourced editorial examples as live EU activity.
If a page is educational rather than live, it should be labelled as an explainer and should not be presented as a current decision.
Plain-language summaries
Summaries are written to explain what happened, why it matters, who may be affected and what could happen next. They simplify language, but they do not replace the legal text.
Update rhythm
Live snapshots are refreshed from public sources. The weekly digest selects key source-backed updates from the recent window and turns them into a short civic briefing.
External-link checks
Official-source links should be checked before major public presentations and after data refreshes. A working link may redirect to an official EU page; a broken, private or unrelated page should not be promoted as an official source.
Because EU websites sometimes change URLs, link checks are treated as a recurring quality task, not a one-time guarantee.
Fact-checking static examples
Static educational examples are kept separate from live source-backed updates. Specific claims about fines, judgments, ECB decisions or court calendars should be shown as live facts only when an official source is connected and checked.