Law of the European Union

Module 2

The institutions and how Union law is made: Parliament, Council, Commission, the Court, the legislative procedure and the legal basis

A legal order is only as clear as its answer to two questions: who may make the law, and by what steps? In a state, the answers sit in a constitution and a few well-known bodies. In the Union, the answers are spread over several institutions with names that sound alike and roles that are not alike, and a surprising number of exam answers and real arguments are lost by confusing them. This module sets out who the institutions are and what each does, follows a proposal through the ordinary legislative procedure, explains why the choice of legal basis decides the procedure and the vote, and shows how the details of a law are left to later acts. The aim is a mental map you can use to place any Union measure: who proposed it, who adopted it, by which vote, and on what authority.

General education on European Union law, using invented people and businesses and abstract member states. It states the Treaty framework and landmark decisions in simplified form, and it is not legal advice. Rules change and national implementation differs. Consult a qualified lawyer in the place that matters.

This course was written on 4 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of the European Union as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.