Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis· S&D

Nuanced

According to Article 1 of the EU Treaty, only Member States confer competences on Union institutions.

Omissions

• The exact wording of Article 1 TEU states that Member States confer competences 'to attain objectives they have in common' - this purpose clause is omitted in the claim.
• The more explicit statement of the principle of conferral appears in Article 5(1) TEU ('the limits of Union competences are governed by the principle of conferral'), not Article 1.
• Article 1 uses the term 'High Contracting Parties' (the Member States as parties to the Treaty) rather than 'Member States' in the first sentence, though it uses 'Member States' in the second sentence.

Sources

• PrimaryEUR-Lex - Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European UnionArticle 1 TEU: 'By this Treaty, the High Contracting Parties establish among themselves a European Union, hereinafter called the Union, on which the Member States confer competences to attain objectives they have in common.'
• PrimaryUK Legislation.gov.uk - Treaty on European UnionArticle 1 TEU: establishes the Union 'on which the Member States confer competences'