Law-making process

The European Commission proposes and ensures implementation of EU  law, in cooperation with other EU institutions and Member States. A set of rules, known as ‘better regulation’, seeks to improve the quality of EU legislation.

The European Union is based on the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, signed and approved voluntarily and democratically by all EU Member States. The Treaties set out the Union’s general objectives and competences. Specific objectives for every institutional cycle are defined in the Council’s strategic agenda and the political guidelines of the Commission President-designate. To exercise the Union’s competences and achieve its objectives, the EU institutions adopt policies and legal acts.  The Commission presents its yearly plans of all major initiatives, including legal acts in the annual Commission work programme.

The European Union is based on the rule of law, which ensures that authorities of all levels act within the constraints and in compliance with the law.

On this page, you can find general information regarding the types of EU law, the ‘better regulation’ policy and the different stages through which an EU law is developed. Further information is accessible through the relevant links.

Page contents:

• Types of EU legal act
• The stages of EU law-making
• Related Links