Cap. 460 Art. 5Decision on, and proof of, Treaties and instruments arising therefrom, etc.

(1) For the purposes of any proceedings before any court or other adjudicating authority, any question as to the meaning or effect of the Treaty, or as to the validity, meaning or effect of any instruments arising therefrom or thereunder, shall be treated as a question of law and if not referred to the Court of Justice of the

(2) Judicial notice shall be taken of the Treaty, of the Official Journal of the European Union and of any decision of, or expression of opinion by, the Court of Justice of the European Communities or any court attached thereto on any such question as aforesaid, and the Official Journal shall be admissible as evidence of any instrument or any other act thereby communicated of any of the Communities or of any institution of the European Union.

(3) Evidence of any instrument issued by an institution of the European Union, including any judgement or order of the Court of Justice of the European Union or any court attached thereto, or of any document in the custody of an institution of the European Union, or any entry in or extract from such a document, may be given in any legal proceedings by production of a copy certified as a true copy by an official of that institution; and any document purporting to be such a copy shall be received in evidence without proof of the official position or handwriting of the person signing the certificate.

(4) Evidence of any instrument issued by an institution or organ of the European Union may also be given in any proceeding before a court or other adjudicating authority -

(a) by the production of a copy purporting to be printed by or on behalf of the Government Printing Press;

(b) where the instrument is in the custody of a Government department by production of a copy certified on behalf of the department to be a true copy by an officer of the department generally or specially authorised so to do;

and any document purporting to be such a copy as is mentioned in paragraph (b) of an instrument in the custody of a department shall be received in evidence without proof of the official position or handwriting of the person signing the certificate, or of his authority to do so, or of the documents being in the custody of the department.