Copyright notice
General copyright rules
All content on this website is the exclusive property of the European Union, as represented by the Council, unless otherwise indicated.
Reproducing content from this website is authorised, provided that:
- the source is acknowledged
- the original meaning or message is not distorted
- any change to the content is clearly indicated
The General Secretariat of the Council cannot be held liable for any consequences of reuse.
How to indicate copyright information
© European Union, 2026.
Should it be indicated that prior permission is required for the reproduction or use of textual and/or multimedia information (sound, images, software, etc.), please contact our digital communication team.
Such permission replaces the general permission and clearly indicates any restrictions on use.
Furthermore, the reuse of documents or other material subject to the intellectual property rights of third parties requires prior authorisation from the copyright owners.
Visual and audiovisual content
As a general rule, for visual and audiovisual materials published on this website, such as editorial broadcasts, webcasts, prints and online or radio reports, the general copyright rules apply.
Specific rules apply to certain categories of audiovisual content published in the Newsroom. Check the site for more details.
Europa building
When reusing pictures and/or videos showing images of the inside and/or outside of the Europa building and its colour compositions, unless as background to an event, the following copyright should be used:
- Europa building: © Philippe Samyn and Partners architects and engineers – lead and design Partner Studio Valle Progettazioni architects Buro Happold engineers
- Colour compositions: © by Georges Meurant, 2016
Logo
The logos of the European Council and of the Council of the European Union are copyright protected.
They may, however, be used by third parties, provided the terms of use are respected and the logo request form is filled in.
Limitations related to the Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO)
Specific copyrights apply to the section of the website covering PRADO, the Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online.
You must under no circumstances:
- distribute, use or make copies of, or otherwise duplicate any materials contained in the PRADO section, unless expressly authorised below or authorised by the GSC
- sell, loan, rent, lease, re-license, sublicense, forward, distribute, re-distribute or timeshare the PRADO section or parts of it, or "frame" or "mirror" the material or services contained in or accessible from the PRADO section on any other server or Internet-based device without prior express written authorisation from the GSC; authorisation to create Internet links to the PRADO pages is given herewith; to publish such a link you do not need further permission from the GSC
- remove, alter, amend or otherwise tamper with any titles, trademarks, copyright, restricted rights notices, or other proprietary rights legend, or any license agreement, included or provided in the PRADO section
- harvest, collect, gather or assemble any material for use that is not official or non-commercial
- harvest, collect, gather or assemble information or data regarding other users, including e-mail addresses, without their consent
It is nevertheless authorised to create web links redirecting to the PRADO pages without further permission from the GSC.
Last review: 10 August 2026