The European Library is a service that provides access to the catalogs and digital collections of 47 European national libraries through a central multilingual portal. It relies on common standards for access protocols, metadata, and collection descriptions. While operational, it currently only includes collections from libraries. A successful European Digital Library would need to incorporate additional partners like museums and archives, enable multilingual search capabilities, establish business models for long-term sustainability, and address copyright issues through large-scale digitization and preservation programs. Collaboration between members is essential to overcoming political and technical challenges.