EU Law Flashcards
when did the UK join the EU?
1973
when did UK vote Brexit?
2016 referendum
what is the Lisbon Treaty?
sets out the organisation of the EU:
-decide how money is spent
-broader areas of legislative powers
-MEP’s (member of european parliament) have the power to vote on issues
when did EU establish different institutions?
Treaty of Rome 1957
what is Council of EU?
twice a year, the gov of each member state sends a representative (usually foreign minister) to discuss proposals by EU. (council of EU is main decision making body that votes on policy decisions). passes laws proposed by Commission and the Council. it’s members are elected every 5 years.
what is European Commission?
each member state has 1 commissioner as representative appointed for a 5yr term. they’re responsible for one department for EU policy eg. economics, environment.
what does the European Commission do?
-act impartially
-propose new policy, presents drafts to Council
-responsible for admin of EU
-‘guardian’ of the treaties- ensure each MS implement EU laws correctly. if not, they refer matter to the Court of Justice.
what is the Eurpoean Parliament
MEPs elected by the doctorate of each MS every 5yrs. number of MEPs per country depends of the size of population (currently 705)
members form political groups. Parliament meets once a month for week-long session.
STANDING COMMITTEES discuss proposals made by Commission, report to the full Parliament for debate.
Parliament consult on proposed legislation and approve/reject proposals made by the Commission
what is the Court of Justice?
ensures MS’s interpret and apply EU laws appropriately.
-28 judges
-a full court is 15 judges
-some courts sit with 5 or 3 judges
11 advocates general- each case in court is assigned to one advocate general who will research all the legal points.
sources of law
treaties
secondary legislation
treaties
examples of primary legislation which means laws made by the EU are the first point of info eg. Treaty of Lisbon
secondary legislation- consists of regulations and directives that are then implemented by member states. these secondary sources are passed by institutions of the EU under the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
Treaty of Lisbon
in 2009, made important changes to how the European Union works. created new leadership roles, expanded voting rules, gave more rights to citizens. made EU more efficient and transparent.
Re Tachographs: Commissions v UK
