External competences of the EU
The external competences of the EU are defined in Article 216 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The EU may conclude international agreements:
in the cases provided for by the founding Treaties;
where provided for in a legally binding act;
where the conclusion of an agreement is necessary in order to achieve one of the objectives of the EU, even in the absence of internal European legislation;
where the conclusion of the agreement is likely to affect common rules adopted by the EU in internal law. Thus, where the EU has adopted common rules for the implementation of a policy, Member States are no longer entitled to enter into obligations with third countries affecting those rules.
Directive