The Member States 25 March 1957, Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union#PART ONE - PRINCIPLES#TITLE I - CATEGORIES AND AREAS OF UNION COMPETENCE#Article 3

Also known as

Article 3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), as consolidated on 26 October 2012, defines the areas of exclusive Union competence, encompassing the customs union, competition rules necessary for the functioning of the internal market, monetary policy for euro-area Member States, conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy, and the common commercial policy. In these areas, only the Union may legislate and adopt legally binding acts, Member States being precluded from acting except where empowered by the Union. The Union also holds exclusive competence to conclude international agreements where such conclusion is provided for in a Union legislative act, is necessary to exercise an internal competence, or may affect common rules or alter their scope.AI