The Three Pillars
The new order is said to be made up of three pillars.
Pillar one: The European Communities, meaning co-operation over matters such as the Single Market and free movement across borders of persons, goods, services and capital; the "four freedoms". It includes a common approach to agriculture, the environment, competitiveness and trade policy. Also, it includes co-operation in fiscal and monetary issues, and citizenship
Pillar two: Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Pillar three: Police co-operation and co-operation in the area of criminal law.
This "new legal order" has greatest impact on Pillar One of the Three Pillars. It is within pillar one that the institutions of the EU have right to draw up legal instruments and introduce legislation.
The EC Treaty (the Treaty of Rome as amended) can be seen as the basic constitution of the European Union.