File status is a controlled vocabulary that outlines various stages in the life cycle of different activities. Originally, it detailed the different stages in the life cycle of an act (or in the decision-making process of an act) from initiation to completion, to meet the needs of EUR-Lex. As the need for a more generic status table arose, this asset was expanded to encompass stages for all kinds of products and processes. File status is maintained by the Publications Office of the European Union and disseminated on the EU Vocabularies website.