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47-521: The Equality Framework Directive 2000/78/EC is an EU Directive , and a major part of EU labour law which aims to combat discrimination on grounds of disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age in the workplace. It accompanies the Directive 2000/43/EC on equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and the Directive 2006/54/EC on equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation. Since

94-579: A balance of opportunity in employment for teachers in Northern Ireland while furthering the reconciliation of historical divisions between the major religious communities there, the provisions on religion or belief in this Directive shall not apply to the recruitment of teachers in schools in Northern Ireland in so far as this is expressly authorised by national legislation. The Directive is currently implemented in England, Wales and Scotland through

141-520: A directive in theory but has failed to abide by its provisions in practice. If a Member State fails to implement a Directive timely or correctly, the Directive itself becomes binding on the Member States, meaning that parties in proceedings against the state may rely on provisions of the untimely or incorrectly transposed Directive. An example of a case in which the applicant was able to invoke

188-607: A directive rather than a regulation: (i) it complies with the EU's desire for "subsidiarity" ; (ii) it acknowledges that different member States have different legal systems, legal traditions and legal processes; and (iii) each Member State has leeway to choose its own statutory wording, rather than accepting the Brussels' official " Eurospeak " terminology. For example, while EU Directive 2009/20/EC (which simply requires all vessels visiting EU ports to have P&I cover) could have been

235-861: A regulation (without requiring member states to implement the directive), the desire for subsidiarity was paramount, so a directive was the chosen vehicle. The legal basis for the enactment of directives is Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (formerly Article 249 TEC ). Article 288 To exercise the Union's competences, the institutions shall adopt regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and opinions. A regulation shall have general application. It shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. A directive shall be binding, as to

282-580: A report that eventually led to the creation of 1957 Treaty of Rome . Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), beneficiaries of the European Development Fund (EDF). An EU Directive, administered by the European Commission (Directorate General Internal Market) to regulate payment services and payment service providers throughout the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). The Treaties of Rome established

329-489: Is a legal act of the European Union that requires member states to achieve particular goals without dictating how the member states achieve those goals. A directive's goals have to be made the goals of one or more new or changed national laws by the member states before this legislation applies to individuals residing in the member states. Directives normally leave member states with a certain amount of leeway as to

376-578: The Czech Republic and Slovenia . These countries are therefore known as the "Luxembourg six". The Merger Treaty , signed in Brussels on 8 April 1965 and in force from 1 July 1967, provided for a single Commission and a single Council of the then three European Communities ( European Coal and Steel Community , European Economic Community and Euratom ). The Poland and Hungary: Assistance for Restructuring their Economies (PHARE) programme

423-577: The Equality Act 2010 (initially by the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 ), and in Northern Ireland through the various Fair Employment and Treatment Orders). Germany implemented the directive by creation of its General Act on Equal Treatment, Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG). Directive (European Union) A directive

470-692: The European Commission nor the European Court of Justice ) that extended the lifespan of the national veto beyond what was foreseen in the Treaty of Rome . It originated from the "empty chair crisis" instigated by President De Gaulle , and its effect was that Qualified Majority Voting was used far less often and Unanimity became the norm. The Luxembourg European Council in December 1997 authorised accession negotiations with six candidate countries: Cyprus , Estonia, Hungary , Poland,

517-691: The European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and were signed in Rome on 25 March 1957 by the six founding members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. They entered into force on 1 January 1958. A rapid reaction measure which can be invoked by a Member State whenever a new member state would fail to live up to its obligations in

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564-425: The Treaty of Amsterdam came into force in 1999, new EU laws, or Directives , have been enacted in the area of anti-discrimination. The Directive entered into force on 2 December 2000 and gave member states three years to transpose the Directive into law, with an additional three years for legislation in the area of age and disability. There were two exemptions to Article 15 concerning Northern Ireland agreed during

611-419: The 1950s under the EU's founding treaties. African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP), beneficiaries of the European Development Fund (EDF). A framework presented by the European Commission (July 1997) for the development of the European Union and its policies (especially concerning enlargement and the financial framework) after the year 2000. The body of Community law, as well as all acts adopted under

658-416: The EU. It was signed on 25 April 2005 and they became full member states on 1 January 2007 following the ratification procedures. The Treaty of Accession 2011 was the agreement between the European Union and Croatia concerning its accession to the EU. It was signed on 9 December 2011 and Croatia became a full member state on 1 January 2013 following the ratification procedure. The Copenhagen criteria are

705-625: The European Court of Justice developed the doctrine of direct effect where unimplemented or badly implemented directives can actually have direct legal force. In the important case of Francovich v. Italy , the ECJ extended the principle of Van Gend en Loos to provide that Member States who failed to implement a directive could incur liability to pay damages to individuals and companies who had been adversely affected by such non-implementation. Eurospeak The Treaty of Accession 1972

752-420: The European Union is that decisions are retained by Member States if the intervention of the European Union is not necessary. The European Union takes action collectively only when Member States' power is insufficient. The principle of subsidiarity applied to the European Union can be summarised as "Europe where necessary, national where possible". The European Parliament is the only directly elected body of

799-514: The European Union, with elections every five years. Its main meetings are held in Brussels , with plenary sessions in Strasbourg . The Parliament has MEPs from the 27 Member States and, along with the Council , it considers legislative proposals from the European Commission . The Parliament and Council also share joint responsibility for approving the EU's annual budget . The Parliament has

846-661: The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT). Europe Agreement is the common name of the Accession Agreement that implies prospects for EU membership. The de Larosière report , issued by a panel led by the former French central banker Jacques de Larosière , calls for an overhaul of Europe's financial-regulation system. It proposes the creation of a regional supervisor, the European Systemic Risk Council , which would be led by

893-622: The UK's entry into the EU, the empty chair crisis , and the Luxembourg compromise . The Helsinki European Council in December 1999 authorised accession negotiations with six candidate countries: Bulgaria , Latvia, Lithuania , Malta, Romania and Slovakia . These countries are therefore known as the "Helsinki six". An informal meeting of foreign ministers held in Ioannina , Greece, on 29 March 1994, which discussed Council decision making and

940-413: The abolition of systematic border controls among the participating countries, was created independently of the European Union. However, the Treaty of Amsterdam incorporated the developments brought about by the agreement into the European Union framework, effectively making the agreement part of the EU. The European Commission is independent of national governments and its job is to represent and uphold

987-491: The adoption of the Maastricht Treaty, temporary Committees of Inquiry may also be set up by a vote of Parliament (e.g., on Climate Change , transport, BSE , Echelon, Human Genetics, Safety at Sea). The Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment unit, whose work is carried out in partnership with external experts. A report written in 1975 by the former Belgian Prime Minister Leo Tindemans . Notably,

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1034-599: The application for asylum on behalf of all other member states. The objective was to prevent asylum seekers from launching multiple asylum requests. The agreement was reached in 1990 but became binding only in 1997. The European Conference was the name of the meeting that brought together 10 countries aspiring to join the EU. It met for the first time in London on 12 March 1998, then in Luxembourg on 6 October 1998 and then finally in Brussels on 19 July 1999. The Fouchet Plan

1081-437: The appropriate legislative procedure, both institutions can seek to make laws. There are Council directives and Commission directives. Article 288 does not clearly distinguish between legislative acts and administrative acts, as is normally done in national legal systems. Directives are binding only on the member states to whom they are addressed, which can be just one member state or a group of them. In general, however, with

1128-525: The areas of the internal market or justice and home affairs. The Single European Act (SEA) was the first major revision of the Treaty of Rome establishing ECC, and aimed at creating the Single European Market by 31 December 1992. The Stuttgart Declaration was the solemn declaration calling for the creation of the European Union and signed by the then 10 heads of state and governments on 19 June 1983. The principle of subsidiarity in

1175-551: The candidate country, and not of the European Commission. However, the EC representation in the candidate country receives regular reports on its activities. In 1988, a study called "The Costs of Non-Europe" was commissioned to evaluate the gains achieved from creating the European Single Market , and since known as the "Checchini Report". Although its growth projections were too optimistic, it nevertheless predicted that

1222-425: The directive to be implemented correctly. This is done in approximately 99% of the cases. If a member state fails to pass the required national legislation, or if the national legislation does not adequately comply with the requirements of the directive, the European Commission may initiate legal action against the member state in the European Court of Justice . This may also happen when a member state has transposed

1269-695: The exact rules to be adopted. Directives can be adopted by means of a variety of legislative procedures depending on their subject matter. The text of a draft directive (if subject to the co-decision process, as contentious matters usually are) is prepared by the Commission after consultation with its own and national experts. The draft is presented to the Parliament and the Council —composed of relevant ministers of member governments, initially for evaluation and comment and then subsequently for approval or rejection. There are justifications for using

1316-583: The exception of directives related to the Common Agricultural Policy , directives are addressed to all member states. When adopted, directives give member states a timetable for the implementation of the intended outcome. Occasionally, the laws of a member state may already comply with this outcome, and the state involved would be required only to keep its laws in place. More commonly, member states are required to make changes to their laws (commonly referred to as transposition ) in order for

1363-541: The interests of the European Union as a whole. It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council . It is also the EU's executive arm, responsible for implementing the decisions of Parliament and the council, implementing its policies, running its programmes and spending its funds. Like the Parliament and Council, the European Commission was set up in

1410-603: The national parliaments. It discusses the major topics of European integration . COSAC is not a decision-making body. An advisory member of the Bureau of the European Parliament . The Parliament elects five Quaestors for a two and a half-year term. A quorum exists when at least one-third of the Members of the Parliament are present in the chamber. The European Parliament has 23 standing committees : Since

1457-556: The national veto. The Treaty of Nice has since put an end to what was agreed in the Ioannina compromise. The Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (ISPA) was created by the Berlin European Council of March 1999 for increasing pre-accession aid in the field of transport and environment to European Union accession candidate countries. The Luxembourg compromise was a compromise (not recognised by

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1504-761: The negotiations specifically to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland can take positive action to recruit both Catholic and Protestant officers (following the reforms suggested by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland ). 1. To tackle the under-representation of one of the major religious communities in the police service of Northern Ireland, differences in treatment regarding recruitment into that service, including its support staff, shall not constitute discrimination insofar as those differences in treatment are expressly authorised by national legislation. 2. To maintain

1551-577: The power to dismiss the European Commission, and it appoints the European Ombudsman . The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs was proposed by the French National Assembly and has met every 6 months since 1989. It consists of representatives of the committees of the national parliaments dealing with European Union affairs and 6 MEPs , and is headed by two vice-presidents responsible for relations with

1598-702: The president of the European Central Bank and include central bankers from across Europe and some national regulators. The report was ordered by the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and was issued in February 2009. The Messina Conference was held in Messina , Italy, in 1955 and discussed the subject of a customs union. The conference entrusted Paul-Henri Spaak with the creation of

1645-754: The provisions of an untimely transposed Directive is the Verkooijen case, in which the European Court of Justice rendered a judgement on 6 June 2000 (case no. C-35/98). The United Kingdom passed a statutory instrument , the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1994 , to implement the EU Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Directive 1993 . For reasons that are not clear, the 1994 SI

1692-443: The ratification procedures. The Treaty of Accession 1994 was the agreement between the European Union and four countries (Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway) concerning their accession to the EU. It was signed on 26 July 1994 and Austria, Finland and Sweden became full member states on 1 January 1995 following the ratification procedures. Norway again failed to join because its referendum did not pass. The Treaty of Accession 2003

1739-459: The result to be achieved, upon each Member State to which it is addressed, but shall leave to the national authorities the choice of form and methods. A decision shall be binding in its entirety upon those to whom it is addressed. Recommendations and opinions shall have no binding force. The Council can delegate legislative authority to the Commission and, depending on the area and

1786-420: The rules that define whether a country is eligible to join the European Union . The criteria require that a state have the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights, a functioning market economy , and that the state accept the obligations and intent of the EU. An inter-governmental agreement between EU member states on asylum, obliging the country in which an asylum seeker arrives to handle

1833-457: The second and third pillars of the European Union and the common objectives laid down in the Treaties. The Central Financing and Contracting Unit (CFCU) is a body setup in all enlargement candidate countries for the administration of budgets, tendering, contracts, payments, accounting and financial reporting of all procurement contracts for EU funded programmes. It is a body of the government of

1880-563: The single market would be a great success. See Subsidiarity (European Union)#EU competences The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded by the Treaty of Paris (1951) . Its members were France, West Germany , Italy, Belgium , Luxembourg and the Netherlands who pooled their steel and coal resources and create a common market for those products. It was the predecessor of the European Communities. The ECSC

1927-527: Was abolished in 2002. The Élysée Treaty also known as the Treaty of Friendship, was concluded by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer in 1963, and established a process of reconciliation for ending the rivalry between France and Germany. The European Development Fund is the main instrument for European Community aid for development cooperation in the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, as well as

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1974-568: Was created in 1989 to assist Poland and Hungary in their preparations for joining the European Union. The Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD) was established by the Berlin European Council in March 1999 to aid the countries of central and eastern Europe in the areas of agricultural and rural development. It supplemented the PHARE program. The Schengen Agreement , dealing with cross-border legal arrangements and

2021-437: Was deemed inadequate and was repealed and replaced by the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 . The Consumer Rights Act 2015 , a major United Kingdom statute consolidating consumer rights, then abolished the 1999 SI; so presumably the 2015 Act complies with the 1993 EU directive, which remains extant. Even though directives were not originally thought to be binding before they were implemented by member states,

2068-581: Was drawn up by Christian Fouchet as Charles De Gaulle 's unofficial spokesman for European affairs. The Fouchet Plan aimed at restructuring the European Community into a voluntary union of member states with a new headquarters in Paris, and by subjecting EU law to national law. The rejection of the Fouchet Plan by the other 5 member states had far-reaching consequences, such as the vetoing of

2115-488: Was the agreement between the European Communities and Greece concerning its accession to the EC. It was signed on 28 May 1979 and Greece became a full member state on 1 January 1981 following the ratification procedure. The Treaty of Accession 1985 was the agreement between the European Communities and two countries (Spain and Portugal) concerning their accession to the EC. It was signed on 12 June 1985 and Spain and Portugal became full member states on 1 January 1986 following

2162-629: Was the agreement between the European Communities and four countries (Denmark, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom) concerning their accession to the EC. It was signed on 22 January 1972 and Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom became full member states on 1 January 1973 following the ratification procedures. Norway did not ratify the treaty after it was rejected in a referendum held in September 1972. The Treaty of Accession 1979

2209-472: Was the agreement between the European Union and the ten countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia), concerning their accession into the EU. It was signed on 16 April 2003 and they became full member states on 1 May 2004 following the ratification procedures. The Treaty of Accession 2005 was the agreement between the European Union and two countries (Bulgaria and Romania) concerning their accession to

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