http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2016.202.01.0001.01.ENG&toc=OJ:C:2
016:202:TOC

CONSOLIDATED VERSIONS

OF THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION AND THE TREATY ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE EUROPEAN UNION


TITLE IV

PROVISIONS ON ENHANCED COOPERATION

Article 20

(ex Articles 27a to 27e, 40 to 40b and 43 to 45 TEU and ex Articles 11 and 11a TEC)

1.   Member States which wish to establish enhanced cooperation between themselves within the
framework of the Union's non-exclusive competences may make use of its institutions and exercise
those competences by applying the relevant provisions of the Treaties, subject to the limits and in
accordance with the detailed arrangements laid down in this Article and in Articles 326 to 334 of
the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

2.   The decision authorising enhanced cooperation shall be adopted by the Council as a last
resort, when it has established that the objectives of such cooperation cannot be attained within a
reasonable period by the Union as a whole, and provided that at least nine Member States
participate in it. The Council shall act in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 329
of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

3.   All members of the Council may participate in its deliberations, but only members of the
Council representing the Member States participating in enhanced cooperation shall take part in the
vote. The voting rules are set out in Article 330 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union.

4.   Acts adopted in the framework of enhanced cooperation shall bind only participating Member
States. They shall not be regarded as part of the acquis which has to be accepted by candidate
States for accession to the Union.

PART TWO

NON-DISCRIMINATION AND CITIZENSHIP OF THE UNION

Article 19

(ex Article 13 TEC)

1.   Without prejudice to the other provisions of the Treaties and within the limits of the powers
conferred by them upon the Union, the Council, acting unanimously in accordance with a special
legislative procedure and after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may take
appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or
belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

(…)

x

Article 24

(ex Article 21 TEC)

The European Parliament and the Council, acting by means of regulations in accordance with the
ordinary legislative procedure, shall adopt the provisions for the procedures and conditions
required for a citizens' initiative within the meaning of Article 11 of the Treaty on European
Union, including the minimum number of Member States from which such citizens must come.

Every citizen of the Union shall have the right to petition the European Parliament in accordance
with Article 227.

Every citizen of the Union may apply to the Ombudsman established in accordance with Article 228.

Every citizen of the Union may write to any of the institutions or bodies referred to in this
Article or in Article 13 of the Treaty on European Union in one of the languages mentioned in
Article 55(1) of the Treaty on European Union and have an answer in the same language.

(…)

COMMON RULES ON COMPETITION, TAXATION AND APPROXIMATION OF LAWS

CHAPTER 1

RULES ON COMPETITION

SECTION 1

RULES APPLYING TO UNDERTAKINGS

Article 101

(ex Article 81 TEC)

1.   The following shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market: all agreements
between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may
affect trade between Member States and which have as their object or effect the prevention,
restriction or distortion of competition within the internal market, and in particular those which:

(a)

   directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other trading conditions;


(b)

   limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment;


(c)

   share markets or sources of supply;


(d)

apply dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing
them at a competitive disadvantage;


(e)

   make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary
   obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the
   subject of such contracts.

2.   Any agreements or decisions prohibited pursuant to this Article shall be automatically void.

3.   The provisions of paragraph 1 may, however, be declared inapplicable in the case of:

—

 any agreement or category of agreements between undertakings,


—

 any decision or category of decisions by associations of undertakings,


—

 any concerted practice or category of concerted practices,

which contributes to improving the production or distribution of goods or to promoting technical or
economic progress, while allowing consumers a fair share of the resulting benefit, and which
does not:

(a)

impose on the undertakings concerned restrictions which are not indispensable to the attainment of
these objectives;


(b)

   afford such undertakings the possibility of eliminating competition in respect of a substantial
   part of the products in question.

(…)

CHAPTER 3

TITLE XV

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Article 169

(ex Article 153 TEC)

1.   In order to promote the interests of consumers and to ensure a high level of consumer
protection, the Union shall contribute to protecting the health, safety and economic interests of
consumers, as well as to promoting their right to information, education and to organise themselves
in order to safeguard their interests.

2.   The Union shall contribute to the attainment of the objectives referred to in
paragraph 1 through:

(a)

measures adopted pursuant to Article 114 in the context of the completion of the internal market;


(b)

   measures which support, supplement and monitor the policy pursued by the Member States.

3.   The European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative
procedure and after consulting the Economic and Social Committee, shall adopt the measures referred
to in paragraph 2(b).

4.   Measures adopted pursuant to paragraph 3 shall not prevent any Member State from maintaining
or introducing more stringent protective measures. Such measures must be compatible with the
Treaties. The Commission shall be notified of them.

TITLE III

COOPERATION WITH THIRD COUNTRIES AND HUMANITARIAN AID

CHAPTER 1

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

Article 208

(ex Article 177 TEC)

1.   Union policy in the field of development cooperation shall be conducted within the framework
of the principles and objectives of the Union's external action. The Union's development
cooperation policy and that of the Member States complement and reinforce each other.

Union development cooperation policy shall have as its primary objective the reduction and, in the
long term, the eradication of poverty. The Union shall take account of the objectives of
development cooperation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect
developing countries.

2.   The Union and the Member States shall comply with the commitments and take account of the
objectives they have approved in the context of the United Nations and other competent
international organisations.

(…)

TITLE II

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Article 310

(ex Article 268 TEC)

1.   All items of revenue and expenditure of the Union shall be included in estimates to be drawn
up for each financial year and shall be shown in the budget.

The Union's annual budget shall be established by the European Parliament and the Council in
accordance with Article 314.

The revenue and expenditure shown in the budget shall be in balance.

2.   The expenditure shown in the budget shall be authorised for the annual budgetary period in
accordance with the regulation referred to in Article 322.

3.   The implementation of expenditure shown in the budget shall require the prior adoption of a
legally binding Union act providing a legal basis for its action and for the implementation of the
corresponding expenditure in accordance with the regulation referred to in Article 322, except in
cases for which that law provides.

4.   With a view to maintaining budgetary discipline, the Union shall not adopt any act which is
likely to have appreciable implications for the budget without providing an assurance that the
expenditure arising from such an act is capable of being financed within the limit of the Union's
own resources and in compliance with the multiannual financial framework referred to in
Article 312.

5.   The budget shall be implemented in accordance with the principle of sound financial
management. Member States shall cooperate with the Union to ensure that the appropriations entered
in the budget are used in accordance with this principle.

6.   The Union and the Member States, in accordance with Article 325, shall counter fraud and any
other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union.