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v t e

Legal Acts of the European Union are laws which are adopted by the Institutions of the European Union in order to exercise the powers given to them by the EU Treaties. They come in five forms: regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions.^[1]

Regulations and directives can be either legislative or non-legislative acts. Legislative acts are normally adopted by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament acting together, and have their legal basis in the treaties. Non-legislative acts are adopted by the European Commission in pursuance with powers given to it by legislative acts. Their function is to fill in the detail omitted by legislative acts.

Kinds

A regulation becomes immediately enforceable as law in all member states simultaneously. It can be considered as equivalent to a pan-European act of parliament.
A directive requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result.
A decision is binding in its entirety. A decision which specifies those to whom it is addressed is only binding on them.
Recommendations and opinions are non-binding.

Institutions of the EU	European Council Council of the European Union European Parliament Committees of the European Parliament European Commission Court of Justice of the European Union European Central Bank System of Central Banks European Court of Auditors
Other EU bodies under International Law	European Atomic Energy Community European Investment Bank European Investment Fund European University Institute Energy Community European Stability Mechanism Unified Patent Court
Independent Offices	European Ombudsman European Data Protection Supervisor
Agencies	Agencies of the European Union
Advisory	European Committee of the Regions European Economic and Social Committee Political and Security Committee European Union Military Committee

Politics

Concepts	Eurosphere Intergovernmentalism Multi-speed Europe Neofunctionalism Optimum currency area Supranational union Euroscepticism Euromyths Federalisation Pro-Europeanism Democratic legitimacy Differentiated integration Privileged partnership
Policies	Area of freedom, security and justice Migration and asylum policy Schengen Area European Judicial Network (criminal matters) European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters Common Foreign and Security Policy Common Security and Defence Policy Permanent Structured Cooperation Enlargement Policy Neighbourhood Policy Global Strategy Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) Eurozone European banking union European Banking Supervision Single Resolution Mechanism Capital Markets Union European System of Financial Supervision Single market Agricultural policy Cultural policies Customs Union Educational policies Energy policy Environmental policy European Green Deal Fisheries policy Healthcare Labour mobility Regional development Space policy Sport policies VAT Area Enhanced cooperation
Politics	Elections parliamentary constituencies National parties by affiliation Integration Parliamentary groups Withdrawal Greenland United Kingdom 2012 Nobel Peace Prize
Law	Acquis Charter of Fundamental Rights Citizenship passports identity card (list) Driving licence Competition law Copyright law Directive Citizens' Rights Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Official Journal Legislative procedure Citizens' Initiative Regulation Treaties opt-outs LGBT rights
Foreign relations	Potential superpower status Neighbourhood Policy European Economic Area Economic Partnership Agreements European Union Association Agreement Stabilisation and Association Process Eastern Partnership Euronest Parliamentary Assembly EU Strategy for the South Caucasus Northern Dimension Union for the Mediterranean Global Strategy Free trade agreements EU/ESA Framework Agreement Enlargement Current agenda Statistics

Economy

Culture

Lists

Outline

v t e Judiciary and law of the European Union
Judiciary	Court of Justice of the European Union European Court of Justice members Advocates General General Court Civil Service Tribunal European lawyer Relationship with ECHR Public Prosecutor European civil code
Treaties	Rome Treaty Merger Treaty Single European Act Maastricht Treaty Amsterdam Treaty Nice Treaty Lisbon Treaty Charter of Fundamental Rights Opt-outs
Acts	Acquis: Regulation Directive Framework Directive Decision Recommendation Digital Services Act
Procedures	Ordinary legislative procedure Consultation procedure Consent procedure Commission and Council acting alone Commission acting alone
Principles and terms	Acquis communautaire EUR-Lex Direct applicability Direct effect European labour law European Enforcement Order Gold-plating Four freedoms Home state regulation Indirect effect Incidental effect Minimum harmonisation Maximum harmonisation Preliminary ruling Precautionary principle Principle of legal certainty Recasting Principle of conferral Proportionality Staatenverbund State liability Subsidiarity Supremacy
Regulations	Council Regulation (EC) No. 1206/2001 Council Regulation (EC) No. 1348/2000 Customs Regulation 1383/2003 Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 EU-Eco-regulation Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2257/94 Commission Regulation (EU) No. 1170/2011 Customs Regulation 3295/94 Regulation on roaming charges Brussels Regime CLP Regulation Regulation on Community designs Societas Europaea European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances Commission Regulation (EC) No 474/2006 REACH Rome II Regulation Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
Directives	Good Clinical Practice Directive Data Protection Directive ATEX directive Battery Directive Best available technology Biocidal Products Directive Birds Directive Capital Requirements Directives Clinical Trials Directive Computer Programs Directive Conditional Access Directive Copyright Duration Directive (93/98/EEC) Copyright Term Directive (2006/116/EC) Cosmetics Directive Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC) Dangerous Preparations Directive Data Retention Directive Database Directive Database right Directive 2000/43/EC on Anti-discrimination Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation Information Society Directive (first Copyright directive) Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport Directive on the re-use of public sector information Directive on Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources End of Life Vehicles Directive CHP Directive Directive on the energy performance of buildings Directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights Directive 2004/38/EC on the right to move and reside freely Environmental liability directive European SEA Directive 2001/42/EC European units of measurement directives Habitats Directive Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Internal Market in Electricity Directive Landfill Directive Directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions Directive on the legal protection of designs Markets in Financial Instruments Directive Measuring Instruments Directive Medical Devices Directive Posted Workers Directive Pressure Equipment Directive Rental Directive Resale Rights Directive Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive Satellite and Cable Directive Directive on services in the internal market Temporary and Agency Work Directive Trade Marks Directive European Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Unfair Commercial Practices Directive Universal Service Directive Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive Waste Incineration Directive Waste framework directive Water Framework Directive Working Time Directive
Cases	ECJ Rulings (Caselex): Allonby v Accrington and Rossendale College Apostolides v Orams Bosman Cassis de Dijon Chacón Navas v Eurest Colectividades SA Chen Ciarán Tobin Coleman v Attridge Law Costa v ENEL Factortame Francovich Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken voor Amsterdam v Inspire Art Ltd Kolpak Microsoft Corp. v. Commission Marleasing SA v La Comercial Internacional de Alimentacion SA Metock Nordsee Palacios de la Villa v Cortefiel Servicios SA Peter Paul and Others v Bundesrepublik Deutschland Procureur du Roi v Dassonville Ralf Sieckmann v Deutsches Patent und Markenamt Tanja Kreil Van Duyn v Home Office Van Gend en Loos
Fraud	Court of Auditors European Anti-Fraud Office Accountability in the European Union
European Union portal Law portal

Kinds

See also

References