Teacher(s)
Antoniadis Antonios (compensates Rizcallah Cecilia); Bauerschmidt Jonathan (compensates Rizcallah Cecilia); Frasca Eleonora (compensates Rizcallah Cecilia); Rizcallah Cecilia;
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.
Main themes
This course aims to introduce students to the fundamental issues that structure European Union law. More specifically, it aims to provide a clear understanding of the constitutional foundations of EU law and its institutional structure. It addresses the construction of the European legal system and enables students to understand the relationship between EU law and the legal systems of the Member States. As the legal system of the European Union is in a constant state of flux and change, the focus will be on the dynamic architecture of the European Union, resulting from the interpretation of EU law by the Court of Justice and successive amendments to the founding Treaties. In so doing, students will be led to reflect on current attempts to reform the Union and redefine its areas of competence, as well as on the inter-institutional distribution of its powers.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
This teaching unit contributes to the development and acquisition of the following programme learning outcomes (quoted in commas).
The course contributes to the development of a “general knowledge on the European Union”, in particular through an understanding of the historical and political development of European integration, as well as “specific legal knowledge of European law” through the development of a “command of the concepts, rules and principles of European law”. At the end of this course, students will be able to master the constitutional foundations and institutional structure of the Union. They will have acquired an in-depth understanding of the nature of the EU's legal system and its sources, as well as an “ability to analyse” the Union's competences, the division of powers between institutions and the principles governing European law. They will also be able to understand and analyse the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and to grasp the relationship between EU law and national legal systems, thus contributing to their “command of the secondary principles which connect the formal sources of law” and to their “understanding of law as a ‘system’”. The course also supports the acquisition of ‘a grounding in the scientific method, and the “the ability to construct a reasoned argument”. Through the use of a collection of case law and the reference work, students are indeed encouraged to develop an argumentative approach, in particular through the analysis of the Court’s decisions. Lastly, the course contributes to the development of “the skills required for analysis, reflection and argumentation based on concrete situations”.
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Content
The course is structured around three main themes: European integration, the exercise of power in the EU and the European legal order.
It is structured as a series of lectures, each focusing on a specific theme: the nature of the EU and its legal system, historical developments, sources of EU law, EU competences, principles, institutional system, internal and external legislative powers, executive powers, judicial protection, fundamental rights, internal market and EU citizenship.
Due to the importance of European litigation, the emphasis will be on in-depth analysis of the case law of the Court of Justice, a fundamental vector of European integration.It is structured as a series of lectures, each focusing on a specific theme: the nature of the EU and its legal system, historical developments, sources of EU law, EU competences, principles, institutional system, internal and external legislative powers, executive powers, judicial protection, fundamental rights, internal market and EU citizenship.
Teaching methods
Lectures
Lectures are essentially given ex cathedra, supported by PowerPoint presentations.
Students are strongly invited to participate to the discussion, on the basis of the assigned readings (mostly case law) that the students should read and analyse before each lecture. Reading these texts is strongly recommended so as to be best prepared for class and for the exam. In class participation is strongly encouraged.
The last session before the exam is a review session during which students can ask the professors for clarification.
Tutorials without casus
The lectures are supplemented by three sessions of tutorials. Each two-hour session is devoted to a selected topic of substantive EU law, to enable students to understand the practical influence of EU law and the case law of the Court of Justice on the lives of citizens and businesses operating on the European market.
Lectures are essentially given ex cathedra, supported by PowerPoint presentations.
Students are strongly invited to participate to the discussion, on the basis of the assigned readings (mostly case law) that the students should read and analyse before each lecture. Reading these texts is strongly recommended so as to be best prepared for class and for the exam. In class participation is strongly encouraged.
The last session before the exam is a review session during which students can ask the professors for clarification.
Tutorials without casus
The lectures are supplemented by three sessions of tutorials. Each two-hour session is devoted to a selected topic of substantive EU law, to enable students to understand the practical influence of EU law and the case law of the Court of Justice on the lives of citizens and businesses operating on the European market.
Evaluation methods
Type of assessment
The final assessment consists of a written examination in English (3 hours) a series of theoretical and practical questions on the subjects covered in the lectures and tutorials.
The exam is a closed book exam. Students may use the consolidated EU Treaties (TEU, TFEU, Charter), the case book and a language dictionary. These texts may be annotated only in full accordance with the Faculty of Law’s guidelines (as foreseen for the Code BAC), and never beyond the limits they prescribe. PowerPoint presentations, textbooks and personal notes, etc. are strictly forbidden.
Criteria for assessment
Students will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
The final assessment consists of a written examination in English (3 hours) a series of theoretical and practical questions on the subjects covered in the lectures and tutorials.
The exam is a closed book exam. Students may use the consolidated EU Treaties (TEU, TFEU, Charter), the case book and a language dictionary. These texts may be annotated only in full accordance with the Faculty of Law’s guidelines (as foreseen for the Code BAC), and never beyond the limits they prescribe. PowerPoint presentations, textbooks and personal notes, etc. are strictly forbidden.
Criteria for assessment
Students will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- their understanding of the fundamental concepts addressed during the course,
- their ability to argue, to analyse and synthesize,
- their capacity to structure their argumentation.
Online resources
Syllabus outlining the structure of the course and the readings to be completed for each session as well as PowerPoint presentations (published on Moodle on the days following the course).
In addition to the PowerPoint presentations, students will receive a syllabus setting out the structure of the course and the readings required for each session, as well as a case book. The course is supplemented by a book: Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 4th ed. 2023).
Bibliography
Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 4th ed. 2023)
Teaching materials
- Robert Schütze, An Introduction to European Law (Oxford University Press, 4th ed. 2023)
- Annexes - Casebook
Faculty or entity
