European Communities Act 1972 (UK)

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Acts of Parliament of predecessor states to the United Kingdom
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Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom
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Acts of the Scottish Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Parliament
Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Orders in Council for Northern Ireland
United Kingdom Statutory Instruments
Church of England Measures

The European Communities Act (1972 c. 68) is the Act of the United Kingdom Parliament providing for the incorporation of European Community law into the domestic legal order of the United Kingdom. It is not to be confused with the Irish European Communities Act 1972, which did the same thing for the Republic of Ireland.

Its main significance is that (apart from being the instrument whereby the UK was able to accede to the European Union (or 'European Communities' as then termed) it enables under section 2(2) for Government ministers to lay regulations before Parliament to implement required changes to UK law (for example, Decisions of the European Court of Justice and EU Directives.