The UK Constitution and the European Union

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the relationship between the UK constitution and EC law. The European Communities were created as an aspiration to prevent further wars in Europe and to regenerate the European economies. The prototype was the European Coal and Steel Community created by the Treaty of Paris 1951. The other Communities were created in 1957 by two Treaties of Rome. They are the European Community (EC) (formerly called the European Economic Community), and the European Atomic Energy Community. The EC is by far the most important, and responsible for most of the legal and political activity. The three communities share the same basic institutions.