1. UNIT 24: . THE LEGAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
English for Lawyers IV
Snježana Husinec, PhD;

2. European Union Which terms do you associate with the European Union?
Which EU institutions do you know of?
What do you know about the establishment of the EU?
Which territory does EU encompass today?
Read the first three sections of the text and do ex. III.

3. History of the EU
Watch the video at the following link and take notes on the following:
reasons for the establishement of the European Community
years and the significant events

4. EU evolution – timeline
EU evolution – timeline . Study the timeline and explain the significance of each treaty.

5. Three pillars of the EU Find the three pillars in the text.
First Pillar:
______________________________________________________________
Second Pillar:
Third Pillar:

6. Three pillars of the EU Find the three pillars in the text.
First Pillar: European Communities
The EEC was founded by the Treaty of Rome (1957). Also in this pillar are the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EUROATOM). The responsibilities of the European Communities address the core economic initiatives of the European Union including closely related social policy, regional policy, and environmental policy
Second Pillar: Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union is coordinated through the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union. The Secretary-General carries the parallel title of High Representative for the CFSP, a capacity closest to that of an EU foreign minister. 
Third Pillar: Cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs
Cooperation in Justice and Home Affairs addresses the need for interaction between the police, customs, immigration services, and justice ministries of Member-States. This initiative emerged out of the Schengen Agreements of and 1990 to coordinate border policy resulting from more open movement of people between EU Member-States.

7. Treaty of Lisbon What are the goals of the Treaty?
What changes and new things have been introduced by the Treaty?

8. Croatian membership in the EU
Read the text and find which significant events in the process of the Croatian accession to the EU took place in the following years: 2001 – 2003 – 2005 – 2006 – 2011 – 2013 –

9. Key Stages in EU History
Read the text once again and do ex. IV - VII.

10. Sources of EU Law What do you think are the sources of law in the EU?
Does the EU have a constitution? What kind of a constitution could it be?
Which EU institutions represent the legislative power in the EU?

11. Sources of EU law
Read the first paragraph and find the different source of EU law.
Sources of EU law
What they entail and regulate

12. Secondary sources Read article 288 TFEU and complete the table.
Type of secondary legal act
Definition and features
= have no binding force
= cannot be ignored and have some persuasive authority .
= binding in their entirety upon those to whom they are addressed; if specified to whom it is addressed – binding only on them
= may be addressed to Member States or individuals; often directed to companies which acting contrary to the provisions of the EC treaty
= are binding in their entirety and apply to both Member States and individuals; = automatically become part of the domestic legal system of the Member States without the need for any national legislation; tend to be used in highly regulated fields such as agriculture and competition
= not binding in their entirety, but only on those Member States to which they are addressed
= instruct Member States to do certain things but do not specify how this should be done; the instrument of implementation is determined by Member States

13. Secondary sources
Which types of secondary legal acts are binding and which non-binding?
Do ex. V on p. 249.

14. Green Paper Green Papers
= documents published by the European Commission to stimulate discussion on given topics at European level.
The purpose of a Green Paper
= to invite the relevant parties (bodies or individuals) to participate in a consultation process and debate on the basis of the proposals they put forward. Green Papers may give rise to legislative developments that are then outlined in White Papers  it is the first step towards legislation
Examples of recent Green Papers:
- Mobile health (‘mHealth’) (2014);
- Retail financial services: Better products, more choice and greater opportunities for consumers and businesses (2015); and
- Building a Capital Markets Union (2015)

15. White paper European Commission White Papers
= documents containing proposals for European Union (EU) action in a specific area.
The purpose of a White Paper
= to launch a debate with the public, stakeholders, the European Parliament and the Council in order to arrive at a political consensus
it is a more authorative report, and is seen as a statement of government policy.
Examples:
- The Commission’s 1985 White Paper on the completion of the internal market is an example of a blueprint that was adopted by the Council and resulted in the adoption of wide-ranging legislation in this field.
- Recent Commission White Papers include:
An agenda for adequate, safe and sustainable pensions (2012);
Towards more effective EU merger control (2014);
The future of Europe – Reflections and scenarios for the EU27 by 2025 (2017).

16. The Treaty on European Union
Read the introductory text about the Treaty on European Union.
What does it include?
Read Article 1, Article 2 and Article 49.
Do ex. III, IV, VI and VII.