Yeah, that's all clear. But notice this sequence: Retric > Ireland also has a law on the books saying it must comply with the EU. akvadrako > Ireland has to

Yeah, that's all clear. But notice this sequence: Retric > Ireland also has a law on the books saying it must comply with the EU. akvadrako > Ireland has to follow EU laws because the EU says so Retric > No, Ireland ... has to follow EU laws because Ireland law says so My (modest) understanding of treaty law is that Retric is right, that the laws that require Ireland to obey EU rulings are Irish laws. In particular, presumably some members of various executive branches negotiated some treaties, and then asked their respective legislative branches to "ratify" those treaties, i.e. pass laws binding the signatories to obey the treaties, by their own respective legal systems. My non-lawyer understanding is that EU legal theory recognizes the sovereignty of nations, and the EU's authority is derived from the sovereign authority of nations. Do you actually disagree with any of this? If you do disagree, how do you understand international law to work? i.e. why would Ireland ever care what EU law says, other than via the legal chain I just outlined?