European Communities Act

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European Communities Act, 1972. Act of the British Parliament giving legal effect to the treaties and legislation of the European Communities, effectively confirming Parliament's acceptance of British entry. The primacy of European over British law introduced by the Act was most vividly shown by the ability of the European Court of Justice, in 1991, to overturn provisions made by the British Parliament in the 1988 Merchant Shipping Act on restricting foreign ownership of British registered fishing trawlers, because they infringed article 52 of the treaty of Rome.

Christopher N. Lanigan

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European Communities Act

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