Acquis Communautaire
Acquis Communautaire : This refers to the body of common rights and obligations that bind all Member States within the European Union (EU). It is based principally on the Treaties of Rome, Maastricht and Amsterdam and the instruments that supplement them, as well as a wide range of secondary legislation enacted under these Treaties. It is constantly evolving and comprises: the content, principles and political objectives of the treaties; the legislation adopted in the application of the treaties and the case law of the European Court of Justice; the declarations and resolutions adopted by the EU; measures relating to the common foreign and security policy; measures relating to justice and home affairs; international agreements concluded by the Community and those concluded by the Member States between themselves in the field of the EU's activities. Thus the Community acquis comprises not only Community law in the strict sense, but also all Acts adopted under the second and third pillars of the EU and, above all, the common objectives laid down in the Treaties. Applicant countries have to accept the Community acquis before they can join the EU. Exemptions and derogations from the acquis are granted only in exceptional circumstances and are limited in scope. The EU has committed itself to maintaining the Community acquis in its entirety and developing it further. There is no question of going back on its contents. In preparation for the accession of new Member States, the Commission examined with the applicant countries how far their legislation conformed to the Community acquis. See: Treaties
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