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1957 · Charters, declarations and treaties

Treaty of Rome

Europe

The treaty that set up the European Economic Community, with a common market and its own institutions, including a Court of Justice.

Why it matters

It is the starting point of European Union law. The Court of Justice later held that this law is directly effective and takes priority over national law.

Built on

No earlier text on this timeline is a documented model for it.

Went on to shape

No later text on this timeline is recorded as built on it.

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s timeline lists links of influence only where the borrowing is widely documented. Historians sometimes disagree about how much one text shaped another. It is an educational overview, not legal advice.