Spain and the European Communities: Institutions & Treaties

Spain and the European Communities: Institutions & Treaties

Of the Constitution. It is up to Parliament or the Government, as appropriate, to ensure compliance with these treaties and resolutions of international or supranational bodies that are holders of the assignment.

Accession and legal effect in Spain

This international organization is attributed powers derived from the EC. Spain joined the EEC communities and became part of a club of European states through LOREG 10/1985, effective from January 1, 1986. Spanish public authorities and citizens became subject to passing a new law. The European communities are communities that were born for purposes other

Nature of the European Community legal order

The EC is a body of law that we must adopt because we are incorporated; these communities are supranational institutions with legal authority to make rules. The basic institutions are the Council, the Commission, the Parliament, and the Court of Justice.

Key institutions

• The Council: ministers representing the member states.
• The Commission: Commissioners are appointed by the states; they act independently and do not represent their states within the Commission.
• The Parliament: it once had reduced functionality but has since expanded its responsibilities and powers, seeking greater political participation and representation of European citizens. Members are elected by universal suffrage in elections in each country.
• The Court (Court of Justice): composed of judges appointed by the states, with independence and impartiality. (Note: the original text states "that Community law does not apply for Spain" — the sentence is preserved as an original fragment.)

European unification ambitions

These institutions are the beginnings of European unification. They will become a macro-state made up of millions of people in a common area without internal frontiers, with an identical currency, with monetary union and bank regulation, with free movement of people and capital regulated by rules of equal competition, with a unified foreign policy, a defense policy, and aspirations to be further common.

Community legal standards

The Community system is composed of two types of standards:

• Primary law: the founding treaties and agreements by which the European Communities (and later the European Union) were formed. These are the highest standards of European law.
• • Founding treaties (examples): Treaty of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC, 1952), Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (EEC, 1957/1958), and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom, 1957/1958).

Subsequent agreements and amendments

Agreements and amendments to the existing treaties include a number of key years and instruments: 1957, 1965 (Convention), 1970 (Treaty), 1972 (accession), 1975 (treaty amendment), and the 1976 Act. Each relevant act or the incorporation of a new member introduced changes in the international treaties:

• Single European Act (1986)
• • EU Treaty of 1992 (Maastricht Treaty)