Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 11/2010

Governing by 'consensuses' – on the legal regulation of the European Union's development cooperation policy

Morten Broberg

October 2010

Danish Institute for International Studies

Abstract

In a national context, the hierarchy of the sources of law is essentially the same in most European legal systems. At the top of this hierarchy there is a constitution. Below the constitution there are acts of parliament. And at the bottom we find administrative rules. This picture may be nuanced by including many other sources, such as court rulings, circulars, guidelines, white papers etc., but the basic hierarchy of a constitution, acts of parliament and administrative rules remains essentially the same.