Vehicle documents

For our recently purchased Fiat Panda I now have the new registration certificate in hand from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Today I checked that the vehicle identification number matches though it took me unexpectedly long to find it on the car as I am used to there being a plate readily visible at the bottom of the windshield or around the engine compartment or when a front door is open. Curiously, the registration certificate says European Community which I thought had ceased to exist many years ago.