mits. (G20 summit in Seoul) The coordinator and representative of the C

National Assembly of Hungary. Since the Lisbon Treaty, national parliaments have relevant legislative powers via subsidiarity principle.
Acts
The main legal acts of the EU come in three forms: regulations, directives, and decisions. Regulations become law in all member states the moment they come into force, without the requirement for any implementing measures,[l] and automatically override conflicting domestic provisions.[f] Directives require member states to achieve a certain result while leaving them discretion as to how to achieve the result. The details of how they are to be implemented are left to member states.[m] When the time limit for implementing directives passes, they may, under certain conditions, have direct effect in national law against member states.
Decisions offer an alternative to the two above modes of legislation. They are legal acts which only apply to specified individuals, companies or a particular member state. They are most often used in competition law, or on rulings on State Aid, but are also frequently used for procedural or administrative matters within the institutions. Regulations, directives, and decisions are of equal legal value and apply without any formal hierarchy.[111]
Justice and home affairs

Further information: Area of freedom, security and justice


The borders inside the Schengen Area between Germany and Austria
Since the creation of the EU in 1993, it has developed its competencies in the area of justice and home affairs, initially at an intergovernmental level and later by supranationalism. To this end, agencies have been established that co-ordinate associated actions: Europol for co-operation of police forces,[112] Eurojust for co-operation between prosecutors,[113] and Frontex for co-operation between border control authorities.[114] The EU also operates the Schengen Information System[17] which provides a common database for police and immigration authorities. This co-operation had to particularly be developed with the advent of open borders through the Schengen Agreement and the associated cross border crime.
Furthermore, the Union has legislated in areas such as extradition,[115] family law,[116] asylum law,[117] and criminal justice.[118] Prohibitions against sexual and nationality discrimination have a long standing in the treaties.[n] In more recent years, these have been supplemented by powers to legislate against discrimination based on race, religion, disability, age, and sexual orientation.[o] By virtue of these powers, the EU has enacted legislation on sexual discrimination in the work-place, age discrimination, and racial discrimination.[p]
Foreign relations

Main articles: Foreign relations of the European Union, Common Foreign and Security Policy, and European External Action Service


The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.
Foreign policy co-operation between member states dates from the establishment of the Community in 1957, when member states negotiated as a bloc in international trade negotiations under the Common Commercial policy.[119] Steps for a more wide ranging co-ordination in foreign relations began in 1970 with the establishment of European Political Cooperation which created an informal consultation process between member states with the aim of forming common foreign policies. It was not, however, until 1987 when European Political Cooperation was introduced on a formal basis by the Single European Act. EPC was renamed as the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) by the Maastricht Treaty.[120]
The aims of the CFSP are to promote both the EU's own interests and those of the international community as a whole, including the furtherance of international co-operation, respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.[121] The CFSP requires unanimity among the member states on the appropriate policy to follow on any particular issue. The unanimity and difficult issues treated under the CFSP sometimes lead to disagreements, such as those which occurred over the war in Iraq[122]


The EU participates in all G8 and G20 summits. (G20 summit in Seoul)
The coordinator and representative of the CFSP within the EU is the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (currently Catherine Ashton) who speaks on behalf of the EU in foreign policy and defence matters, and has the task of articulating the positions expressed by the member states on these fields of policy into a common alignment. The High Representative heads up the European External Action Service (EEAS), a unique EU department[123] that has been officially implemented and operational since 1 December 2010 on the occasion of the first anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.[124] The EEAS will serve as a foreign ministry and diplomatic corps for the European Union.[125]
Besides the emerging international policy of the European Union, the international influence of the EU is also felt through enlargement. The perceived benefits of becoming a member of the EU act as an incentive for both political and economic reform in states wishing to fulfil the EU's accession criteria, and are considered an important factor contributing to the reform of European formerly Communist countries.[126] This influence on the internal affairs of other countries is generally referred to as "soft power", as opposed to military "hard power".[127]
Military
Main article: Military of the European Union

not legally binding the Charter was frequently cited by the EU's courts as encapsulating rights which the

"The Union coordinates Member States policies or implements supplemental to theirs common policies, not covered elsewhere"
coordination of economic, employment and social policies
common foreign, security and defence policies
Supporting competence:
"The Union can carry out actions to support, coordinate or supplement Member States' actions in:"
the protection and improvement of human health
industry
culture
tourism
education, youth, sport and vocational training
civil protection (disaster prevention)
administrative cooperation
Legal system

Further information: European Union law, Treaties of the European Union, and Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union


The last amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU came into force in 2009 and was the Lisbon Treaty.
The EU is based on a series of treaties. These first established the European Community and the EU, and then made amendments to those founding treaties.[100] These are power-giving treaties which set broad policy goals and establish institutions with the necessary legal powers to implement those goals. These legal powers include the ability to enact legislation[f] which can directly affect all member states and their inhabitants.[g] The EU has legal personality, with the right to sign agreements and international treaties.[101]
Under the principle of supremacy, national courts are required to enforce the treaties that their member states have ratified, and thus the laws enacted under them, even if doing so requires them to ignore conflicting national law, and (within limits) even constitutional provisions.[h]
Courts of Justice
The judicial branch of the EU—formally called the Court of Justice of the European Union—consists of three courts: the Court of Justice, the General Court, and the European Union Civil Service Tribunal. Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law of the EU.[102]
The Court of Justice primarily deals with cases taken by member states, the institutions, and cases referred to it by the courts of member states.[103] The General Court mainly deals with cases taken by individuals and companies directly before the EU's courts,[104] and the European Union Civil Service Tribunal adjudicates in disputes between the European Union and its civil service.[105] Decisions from the General Court can be appealed to the Court of Justice but only on a point of law.[106]
Fundamental rights


The awarding ceremony of the 1990 Sakharov Prize awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi (here by Martin Schulz) inside the Parliament's Strasbourg hemicycle, in 2013. Suu Kyi could not collect it before as she had been political prisoner for years.
The treaties declare that the EU itself is "founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities ... in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail."[107]
In 2009 the Lisbon Treaty gave legal effect to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The charter is a codified catalogue of fundamental rights against which the EU's legal acts can be judged. It consolidates many rights which were previously recognised by the Court of Justice and derived from the "constitutional traditions common to the member states."[108] The Court of Justice has long recognised fundamental rights and has, on occasion, invalidated EU legislation based on its failure to adhere to those fundamental rights.[109] The Charter of Fundamental Rights was drawn up in 2000. Although originally not legally binding the Charter was frequently cited by the EU's courts as encapsulating rights which the courts had long recognised as the fundamental principles of EU law. Although signing the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is a condition for EU membership,[i] previously, the EU itself could not accede to the Convention as it is neither a state[j] nor had the competence to accede.[k] The Lisbon Treaty and Protocol 14 to the ECHR have changed this: the former binds the EU to accede to the Convention while the latter formally permits it.
Although, the EU is independent from Council of Europe, they share purpose and ideas especially on rule of law, human rights and democracy. Further European Convention on Human Rights and European Social Charter, the source of law of Charter of Fundamental Rights are created by Council of Europe. The EU also promoted human rights issues in the wider world. The EU opposes the death penalty and has proposed its worldwide abolition. Abolition of the death penalty is a condition for EU membership.[110]