ABSTRACT
The European Union now comprises 28 Member States with a population of over 500 million people. The original three Communities arose from the desire to put the raw materials of war beyond the control of the nation state once and for all and to unite previously warring nations within a community which would foster not only peace and security but also economic growth and raised standards of living for all its peoples. The European Union, of which the European Community was the largest and most developed part, is based on the rule of law, the protection of individual human rights and a common European Union citizenship. The law relating to the European Union is now a wide-ranging subject. European Union law intrudes upon, and affects, an ever increasing volume of domestic law and now represents an important source of law in the United Kingdom.
