European Union Law

Course goals

Learning objectives
After this course, the student:

• Has a general overview of the core principles of the European Union legal system;
• Has knowledge and understanding of EU law, both institutional and substantive;
• Comprehends the importance of the law of the EU for economics;
• Is able to read and apply case law and legislation of the EU;
• Is able to conduct a small legal assignment, and is able to present legal argumentation in writing in a well-structured way;
• Has developed a vision on the broader economic, political and societal context of European Union law and is able to connect this to ongoing societal developments.

Content

The course “European Union Law” aims to provide insight and knowledge into the basic legal principles, legal institutions and the impact of European Union Law. The principal aim of this course is to help students to achieve a critical and informed understanding of the way in which European Union law operates. It offers a general overview of the core principles of the treaties of the EU, secondary legislation and case law.

The course builds on two main  themes: institutional and substantive EU law. First, institutional law provides insight into the actors within the European Union, the decision-making processes and judicial protection in the European Union. The institutional part of the course will analyse some of the constitutional principles which form the basis of the European Union and play an important role in the division of competences between the EU and its Member States.  In this context, rules concerning the effects of EU law within the national systems will also be discussed.
Second, substantive law is discussed on the basis of internal market law and related concepts such as EU citizenship.  With regard to this part of the course the main focus will be placed on the EU internal market and freedom of movement associated with it. More specifically, in order to achieve the internal market, the Member States of the European Union have decided to share some competence to regulate the free movement of goods, economically-active persons, services and establishment. In this course, students will explore how the freedom of movement is regulated from a legal perspective and will learn which basic principles play a core role in the realisation of free movement. In addition to the freedom of movement, students will be introduced to other areas of EU law such as the Economic and Monetary Union.

Ultimately, students gain a thorough understanding into questions as: ‘What are the reasons for the development of the European Union?’; ‘Who are the important actors in the decision making-process?’; ‘How does the internal market work and how does it affect the Member States’?; and ‘How can we evaluate internal market regulation?’. The course is primarily aimed at providing a legal understanding of the principles and rules governing EU law. The course furthermore features a real world perspective by  connecting the legal materials/developments examined to ongoing societal discussions.  
Topics to be dealt with include:

I.EU Institutional Law

• General aspects of EU law & European integration
• structure of the EU;
• EU institutions and their roles;
• Legal EU instruments and their creation

 II. EU law in Member States orders:

• Supremacy, direct effect of EU law,
• Reception of EU law and state liability;

III. EU Substantive Law

• Introduction to free movement principles free movement of goods;
• Free movement of services & freedom of establishment;
• Free movement of workers;
• European Union citizenship;
• Economic and Monetary Union

Effort requirements
Attendance to the weekly lecture is not compulsory. By contrast, students are obliged to attend 6/8 of the weekly seminars, and should participate actively in class discussions. In order to do so, students are expected to study in detail the mandatory literature for each week in advance. It is expected that students bring their text of the Treaties (TEU and TFEU) with them to each seminar and tutorial.
  
Place of the course within the curriculum
The course is part of the Minor Law of U.S.E.