Chapter 5: The UK Government, the Law and Your Role

The UK and International Institutions

अंतिम जाँच: 15 July 2026

• 1The Commonwealth: an association of countries, most with historic links to the British Empire; membership is voluntary.
• 2The monarch is the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth, which (at the time of the handbook) had 54 member states.
• 3The Commonwealth has no power over its members, but it can suspend membership; it is based on core values of democracy, good government and the rule of law.
• 4Commonwealth members include (examples): Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, Jamaica and the UK.
• 5The European Union (as taught in the 3rd edition, pre-Brexit): originally the European Economic Community (EEC), set up by six countries — Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — by the Treaty of Rome, signed on 25 March 1957.
• 6The UK joined the EEC on 1 January 1973 (it originally chose not to join in 1957).
• 7At the time of writing there were 27 EU member states, with Croatia becoming a member in 2013.
• 8EU law: "regulations" apply automatically in all member states; "directives" must be implemented by each member state's own legislation.
• 9The UK kept the pound and did not adopt the euro, although several EU states use the euro as their currency.
• 10The Council of Europe is SEPARATE from the EU: it has 47 member countries including the UK, it cannot make laws, and its main role is protecting and promoting human rights.
• 11The Council of Europe's most famous creation is the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which the UK has signed.
• 12The United Nations (UN): the UK is a member; the UN was set up after WWII to prevent war and promote peace and security; more than 190 countries belong.
• 13The UN Security Council, which recommends action in international crises, has 15 members; the UK is one of the FIVE permanent members.
• 14NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): the UK is a member; NATO is a group of European and North American countries that have agreed to help each other if attacked, and it works to maintain peace among members.