OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union)

The OJEU (Official Journal of the European Union) is the EU's official gazette — the authoritative publication where all EU legislation, official communications, and public procurement notices are published. Think of it as the EU's legal newspaper, covering everything from new regulations to the advertisement of major public contracts.

How does the OJEU work?

The OJEU is published daily in all official EU languages and is divided into three series:

• L series (Legislation) contains binding legal acts such as regulations, directives, and decisions — including the procurement directives that govern public purchasing across the EU/EEA.
• C series (Communications) contains communications, opinions from the Court of Justice, reports, and preparatory acts.
• S series (Supplement) is dedicated to notices for public tenders above EU threshold values. The S series is published exclusively in electronic form through the TED database.

Under EU Directive 2014/24/EU, all public contracts above the EU thresholds must be advertised in the S series. As of 2026, this means contracts above €140,000 for central government supplies and services, and €5,404,000 for works contracts. Contracting authorities submit notices through national e-senders — in Norway, for example, Doffin forwards notices to TED automatically.

Why is the OJEU important for procurement?

The OJEU is central to the EU's procurement system:

• Legal foundation: The procurement directives published in the L series establish the rules for all EU/EEA public purchasing, including procedures like open and restricted tenders
• Mandatory publication: All public contracts above EU thresholds must be advertised in the S series, with approximately 800,000 notices published annually representing over €815 billion in contract value
• Cross-border access: Publication in all EU languages ensures suppliers across the EEA can identify and compete for opportunities on equal terms
• Threshold updates: The European Commission revises procurement thresholds biennially, publishing updated values in the OJEU's L series

Tools like Cobrief help suppliers monitor new procurement notices published in the S series, ensuring relevant opportunities are never missed.

The OJEU is therefore the cornerstone of EU public procurement — both as the source of the legal framework and as the official channel where all major contracts are advertised. Understanding the OJEU and its S series is essential for any supplier seeking to participate in public procurement across the EEA.