EU

• UK joined the EU on 1st january 1973, voted to leave in 2016.
• Institutions of the EU:

  • Treaty of the EU
  • Treaty of the functioning of the EU
• Council of the EU:

  • government of each nation sends a representative to the Council
  • Foreign Minister is usually a country's main representative but a government is free to send whoever they want out of members
• The Commission:

  • consists of 28 commissioners who are supposed to act independently of their natural origin
  • they are appointed for a 5 year term and can only be removed during this term of office by a vote of censure by European parliament.
  • Commission has several functions; puts forward proposals for new laws to be adopted by parliament of council
• The European Parliament:

  • elected by member state in elections every 5 years.
• Court of Justice of the EU: key functions

  • court's task is to ensure the law is applied uniformly in all member states and does this by hearing cases to decide whether member states have failed to fulfil obligations under treaties and the second function is that it hears references from national courts for preliminary rulings on points of EU law.
• sources of EU law;

  • treaties- any treaties made by the union are automatically part of our law
  • regulations- laws issued by the EU which are binding on member states and automatically apply in each member country.
  • directives- issued by the EU and direct all member states to bring in the same laws throughout all the countries.