Sources of law in EU (8)

• What are the sources of law in EU split up into?

  Primary sources ---> treaties

  
  

  Secondary sources ---> regulations, directives, decisions under Article 288 TFEU
• Treaties

  Membership agreements signed by member states

  Includes 4 freedoms - free movement of goods, capital, services, labour

  
  

  Directly applicable to citizens

  Have direct effect on all citizens -vertical direct effect & horizontal direct effect

  
  

  3 types of treaty

  • Founding - set up EU ---> Treaty of Rome 1957
  • Accession - when new members join ---> Treaty of Accession 1972
  • Amending - when changes are made ---> Treaty of European Union 1992
• Regulations

  Secondary laws drafted by European Commission and debated and voted on by Council of European Union and European Parliament

  
  

  Regulations are automatically binding - Article 288 TFEU

  
  

  Directly applicable to all citizens

  
  

  Have direct vertical and horizontal effect
• Directives

  Secondary laws drafted by European Commission and debated and voted by Council of European Union and European Parliament

  
  

  Not automatically binding, instead it sets a target for member states to introduce laws using own legislative process to meet target of the directive - Article 288 TFEU

  
  

  e.g. Consumer Rights Directive 2011 ---> Consumer Rights Act 2015