ABSTRACT
In order to develop an understanding of European law, its sources need to be examined. Community law can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary. The primary source of EC law is the various Treaties, both those that were enacted in order to create the European Communities and also those that have been enacted in order to amend the original Treaties. (An overview of the main Treaties is provided in Chapter 2.)
Secondary sources include secondary legislation, as enacted by the institutions of the Community, case law, which is derived from the judgments of the ECJ, general principles as ‘declared’ by the ECJ and international agreements entered into by the Community. Each of these sources will be considered in turn.
