In general, EU law is composed of three distinct but interdependent types of legislation which together comprise the "acquis communautaire":

Primary legislation

Secondary legislation

Soft law

The multitude of soft law instruments (notices, guidelines, etc.) are not legally binding but can carry strong political weight. They set standards and can form the basis of secondary legislation.

Case law, which includes judgments of the European Court of Justice and of the European Court of First Instance, in response to referrals from the Commission, national courts of the Member States or individuals. Case law is not dealt with in this section.