EUlovgivning

EU law, or EU lovgivning, refers to the body of laws created by the institutions of the European Union that bind member states and residents within the union. It covers rules that apply across the single market and extends to areas such as competition, environment, consumer protection, and more.

Sources and hierarchy include primary law and secondary law. Primary law consists of the EU treaties, which establish powers and procedures. Secondary law comprises regulations, directives, and decisions. Regulations are binding in full and directly applicable in all member states. Directives set goals that member states must achieve but leave national authorities to decide how to implement them. Decisions bind only those to whom they are addressed. Opinions and recommendations are non-binding.

The legislative process is typically conducted through the ordinary legislative procedure, in which the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union jointly adopt legislation based on proposals from the European Commission. The Commission initiates legislation; the Parliament and Council adopt it. Implementing acts and delegated acts may be used to specify how laws are carried out, with varying degrees of oversight by the Parliament and Council.

Institutions and enforcement involve the Court of Justice of the European Union, which interprets EU law and settles disputes. Breaches of EU law by member states can lead to infringement procedures. National authorities implement EU laws, and in cases of conflict, EU law has primacy over inconsistent national law.

Examples and reach include the internal market, competition policy, environmental regulations, and data protection. The GDPR (a binding regulation) exemplifies how EU law directly governs areas affecting all member states, while other laws require transposition into national legislation.