European Communities Act 1972

E150261

The European Communities Act 1972 was the UK statute that enabled the country’s membership of the European Communities and gave direct effect and supremacy to European Community law within the UK legal system.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
constitutional statute ⓘ
affectedBy European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 ⓘ
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ⓘ
European Union Act 2011 ⓘ
appliedInCaseLaw R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union ⓘ
R v Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame Ltd ⓘ
appliedTo courts of the United Kingdom ⓘ
citedAs 1972 c.68 ⓘ
classifiedAs constitutional statute in UK case law ⓘ
commencementDate 1973-01-01 ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
createdDoctrineOf primacy of EU law in the UK legal order ⓘ
enabled United Kingdom membership of the European Communities ⓘ
implementation of the Treaty of Accession 1972 ⓘ
gaveDirectEffectTo European Community law in the United Kingdom ⓘ
gaveSupremacyTo European Community law over inconsistent UK law ⓘ
implemented Treaty concerning the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities ⓘ
introducedBy Edward Heath government ⓘ
linked to: Edward Heath
jurisdiction United Kingdom ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalBasisFor application of EU regulations in the UK ⓘ
implementation of EU directives in the UK ⓘ
incorporation of EU treaties into UK law ⓘ
legislature Parliament of the United Kingdom ⓘ
linked to: British Parliament
longTitle An Act to make provision in connection with the enlargement of the European Communities to include the United Kingdom ⓘ
partOf United Kingdom constitutional framework prior to Brexit ⓘ
providedThat UK courts must disapply domestic legislation inconsistent with directly effective EU law ⓘ
UK courts must interpret and apply EU law as authoritative ⓘ
rights, powers, liabilities, obligations and restrictions arising under the EU treaties are to be given legal effect in the UK without further enactment ⓘ
purpose to give effect in domestic law to the UK’s obligations under the European Communities treaties ⓘ
recognizedAsConstitutionalStatuteIn Thoburn v Sunderland City Council ⓘ
relatedTo European Atomic Energy Community ⓘ
European Coal and Steel Community ⓘ
European Economic Community ⓘ
Treaty of Rome ⓘ
repealDeferredBy European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 ⓘ
repealedBy European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ⓘ
repealEffectiveDate 2020-01-31 ⓘ
royalAssentDate 1972-10-17 ⓘ
section Section 1 ⓘ
Section 2 ⓘ
Section 3 ⓘ
shortTitle European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
status repealed ⓘ
subjectMatter European Union law ⓘ
constitutional law of the United Kingdom ⓘ
treaty implementation ⓘ
yearEnacted 1972 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (25)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 → repeals → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 → relatedTo → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Treaty of Accession 1972 (United Kingdom to the European Communities) → implementedBy → European Communities Act 1972 (United Kingdom) ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament → includesNotableExample → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Constitution of the United Kingdom → includes → European Communities Act 1972 (historically) ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
European Communities Act 1972 → shortTitle → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 → madeUnder → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Network and Information Systems Regulations → legalBasis → European Communities Act 1972 (for original transposition) ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
1972 Accession Treaty → implementedBy → European Communities Act 1972 (United Kingdom) ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
Legal history of the United Kingdom → includesEvent → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 → madeUnder → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Heath government → introducedLegislation → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Thoburn v Sunderland City Council → relatedLegislation → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Thoburn v Sunderland City Council → finding → European Communities Act 1972 is a constitutional statute ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 → amends → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 → relatedLegislation → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
European Union Act 2011 → relatedTo → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
R v Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame Ltd → keyHolding → European Community law has supremacy over conflicting domestic legislation in areas of Community competence ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
R v Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame Ltd → keyHolding → the European Communities Act 1972 authorises UK courts to give effect to directly effective European Community law over inconsistent national law ⓘ
linked to: European Communities Act 1972
European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 → relatedTo → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
Conservative government of Edward Heath → introducedLegislation → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ
UK Parliament 1970–1974 → passedAct → European Communities Act 1972 ⓘ