EU law foundations (+TP)

Teacher(s)

Pochet Carinne;

Language

English

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

- Acquire knowledge of (i) the historical, constitutional, structural and axiological foundations of the European Union; (ii) the rules which govern the competences of the European Union, its institutional system, and the decision-making process; (iii) the sources of EU law, its main characteristics and judicial controls in place. - Be able to identify and understand the provisions of the founding treaties of the European Union, which will be discussed during lectures. - Understand the significance of key case law of the European Court of Justice, which will be discussed during lectures. - Be able to think critically about European Union law, thanks to other disciplines such as legal theory, political theory and political science.

Content

The course is structured in two parts. The first one deals with the historical and constitutional foundations of the EU and its essential values and principles. This is followed by an examination of the sources of EU law and their hierarchy, as well as the authority of this law.
The second, shorter part will deal with substantive law in order to illustrate and enable students to integrate the first part in a practical way.  
This course will provide students with a clear understanding of the constitutional foundations of EU law and its institutional structure, as well as the way in which its judicial system operates and constantly shapes it. The case law of the Court will therefore be examined in relation to these developments.

Teaching methods

• The lecture is mainly given ex cathedra, supported by a PowerPoint presentation.
  
  There will be periods for discussion with the students, based on the texts (mainly judicial decisions) that the students will have read and analysed prior to the course. Reading these texts is strongly recommended in order to understand the material and prepare for the exam as well as possible.
  
  Participation in the course is strongly encouraged.
  
  Course materials: Powerpoint presentations (sent before the course). For the first course, students will be given the structure of the course and the readings to be done for each lesson. It is also recommended to consult the following textbook: M. Dawson and F. de Witte, EU Law and Governance (CUP 2022) Practical work: The lecture material may be supplemented by three tutorial sessions given by the course assistant.

Evaluation methods

Assessment takes place in January and September. It consists of a written examination (3 hours) which includes a series of theoretical and practical questions on the subjects covered in the lectures and practical work.
The consolidated treaties (TEU, TFEU), the Charter and the Protocols annexed to the treaties will be made available to students for the examination. Only article references will be allowed as annotation.  An English-French dictionary may also be used.
The assessment criteria are as follows: mastery of the main concepts of the course, ability to argue, analyse and summarise, structure of the proposed reasoning.
The examination will not assess the level of English language but will nevertheless take into account the quality and clarity of the writing. Part of the last class will be devoted to a question-and-answer session. A mock exam subject will also be solved collectively.

Other information

For further information or to make an appointment, please contact me at Carinne.pochet@uclouvain.be

Online resources

The consolidated Treaties (TEU, TFEU), the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Protocols annexed to the Treaties.

Bibliography

• En plus du livre mentionné supra "EU Law and Governance de Dawson et de Witte, les étudiant peuvent également consulter Robert Schütze, European Union Law (Cambridge University Press, 2021) et Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 2020).
  In addition to the above-mentioned book "EU Law and Governance" by Dawson and de Witte, students can also consult Robert Schütze, European Union Law (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 2020).
• In addition to the above-mentioned book "EU Law and Governance" by Dawson and de Witte, students can also consult Robert Schütze, European Union Law (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 2020).

Faculty or entity

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