[prmoustache]

Not all of them. Regulations and decisions yes, Directives no. This one is a directive.

"Regulations and decisions become binding automatically throughout the EU on their date of application. However, they may require changes in national legislation, and may require implementation by national agencies or regulators."

"Directives on the other hand, must be incorporated by EU countries into their national legislation. Each directive contains a deadline by which EU countries must incorporate its provisions into their national legislation and inform the Commission to that effect."

source: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/applying...

That doesn't mean they have the right to ignore the directive and not decide on a law but there is definitely more leeway.

[toyg]

I'm not disagreeing, but what I meant was: if government of country X signs an agreement with country Y, then holds elections and the political wind changes, typically they won't be able to just rip the agreement without suffering massive diplomatic damage. EU Directives, in practice, are a way to create international agreements at scale across the continent, streamlining the necessary proceedings. In the same way as a country wouldn't be expected to simply toss an international agreement after a political change, they are expected not to simply ignore matters agreed at EU level by a previous administration without serious repercussions.