European Community

European Community in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of European Community.

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Meaning of European Community

In the context of Europe, and according to A Dictionary of Law, the following is a definition of European Community : (European Community, EC)

An economic and political association of European states that originated as the European Economic Community (EEC). It was created by the *Treaty of Rome in 1957 with the broad object of furthering economic development within the Community by the establishment of a Common Market and the approximation of the economic policies of member states. Its more detailed aims included eliminating customs duties internally and adopting a common customs tariff externally, the following by member states of common policies on agriculture and transport, promoting the free movement of labour and capital between member states, and outlawing within the Community all practices leading to the distortion of competition (See article 81). Two of its institutions, the *European Parliament and the *European Court of Justice, were shared with the *European Coal and Steel Community (established in 1951) and the *European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom; established in 1957); the separate executive and legislative bodies of these three European Communities were merged in 1967 (See European Commission; Council of the European Union).

The *Single European Act 1986, given effect in the UK by the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1986, contains provisions designed to make “concrete progress” towards European unity, including measures to establish a *Single Market for the free movement of goods, services, capital, and persons within the Community: the Single Market came into operation on 1 January 1993. In February 1992 the member states signed the Treaty on European Union (See Maastricht Treaty). This amended the founding treaties of the Communities by establishing a *European Union based upon the three Communities; renamed the EEC the European Community; and introduced new policy areas with the aim of creating closer economic, political, and monetary union between member states. The Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993; it was amended by the *Amsterdam Treaty.

The original members of the EC were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The UK, the Republic of Ireland, and Denmark joined in 1972, Greece in 1981, and Spain and Portugal in 1986, and Austria, Sweden, and Finland in 1995 (in 1994 Norway voted by referendum not to join). The changes in UK law necessary as a result of her joining were made by the European Communities Act 1972.