THE Lord Chancellor, in a notable intervention in the House of Lords on August 2, 1962, x gave a preliminary assessment of the impact and effect of the possible accession of the United Kingdom to the Treaties establishing the three European Communities * upon the legal system in this country. Lord Dilhorne drew attention to the fact that certain provisions of the Treaties themselves, and in particular the regulations adopted by the institutions of the European Economic Community under the EEC Treaty, are " selfexecuting "-that is to say, they become part of the law of the Member States as they stand. Referring in particular to the EEC regulations, he stated: " I fully accept that such regulations would have to be given effect to in our law as they stand. Should they conflict with existing statute or case law they would override it; and, as regards regulations which may come to be made after our accession, we should have to provide in advance that they should have effect as part of our municipal law." " * (1625) 3 Knapp 23. 86] A.C. M4, 6 infra, p. M8.

* This article is the expanded text of a lecture given in London at the invitation of the British Branch of the International Law Association on November 21, 1972.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract