ABSTRACT
In order to develop an understanding of European Union law, its sources need to be examined. EU law can be divided into two basic categories: primary and secondary. The primary source of EU law is the various Treaties, both those that were enacted in order to create the original European Communities (i.e. the Coal and Steel Community, EURATOM and the European Economic Community) and also those that have been enacted in order to amend the original Treaties. (An overview of these Treaties is provided in Chapter 2.) The Treaties provide a framework of policies and rules (think of them as a skeleton), which are then fleshed out by the other sources of law.
