European Union Law

What European Union Law covers

The institutions of the Union, its sources of law, and the effect they had on English law.

The 3 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Institutions of the European UnionRecall questions on the Commission, the Council, the Parliament and the Court of Justice.Open →
• Sources of European Union law and direct effectRecall questions on treaties, regulations and directives as sources of EU law, direct effect from Van Gend en Loos, vertical and horizontal direct effect, indirect effect, and the Francovich principle on state liability for failing to implement a directive.Open →
• The impact of European Union law on English lawRecall questions on the supremacy of EU law, the European Communities Act 1972, Costa v ENEL and Factortame (No 2), and the tension between EU law and parliamentary sovereignty during the UK's membership.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take European Union Law further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Regulation vs Directive

  Regulation: EU law binding in full and applying directly without national implementation. Directive: EU law binding as to the result, leaving the method to each member state.

• Direct effect vs Supremacy

  Direct effect: the principle that an EU provision can be relied on in a national court. Supremacy: the principle that EU law prevails over conflicting national law.

• Vertical direct effect vs Horizontal direct effect

  Vertical direct effect: a right enforceable against the state or an emanation of it. Horizontal direct effect: a right enforceable against another private party.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union?

   Model answer

   It interprets EU law to ensure uniform application across member states and rules on disputes between EU institutions and member states.

2. 2

   Why is it important that the CJEU ensures uniform application of EU law?

   Model answer

   To ensure EU law is interpreted and applied consistently across all member states, preventing divergent national interpretations.

3. 3

   What is the European Commission and what are its main functions within the EU?

   Model answer

   The European Commission is the executive body of the EU responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and upholding EU treaties.

4. 4

   Which EU institution is responsible for proposing new EU legislation?

   Model answer

   The European Commission.

5. 5

   What role does the European Parliament play in the EU's institutional structure?

   Model answer

   The European Parliament is the directly elected legislative body of the EU that represents EU citizens and shares legislative and budgetary powers with the Council.

6. 6

   How are members of the European Parliament selected?

   Model answer

   They are directly elected by EU citizens.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

European Union Law revision questions

What does European Union Law cover in OCR A-Level Law?

3 subtopics: institutions of the european union, sources of european union law and direct effect and the impact of european union law on english law. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is European Union Law organised?

By the OCR H418 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.