EU Governance in Practice: Analysing the European Union from multiple perspectives

Course goals

After completing this course, students will be able to:  

• explain the workings of the main EU legislative institutions;
• explain the (f)actors driving EU-level governance processes as well as of key normative issues with respect to EU institutions and politics;
• critically analyse, discuss and reflect on EU legislative affairs from multiple perspectives

Content

How do the institutions of the European Union (EU) work in practice? What is going on behind the scenes, inside institutions such as the European Commission, and how do EU institutions interact in legislative processes? Further, what challenges put EU governance at risk and what opportunities are there to strengthen democratic principles in EU institutions? This course addresses these and other questions by applying a multidisciplinary perspective.
The study of EU governance is not based on one single theory or discipline. Instead it combines insights from various disciplines including law, economics, political science, and public administration to understand phenomena like working practices, decision-making, the separation of powers, institutional change, and cooperation and conflict.
Transcending disciplinary boundaries, this course approaches the state of the art of EU governance with a diverse analytical toolkit.

After a brief introduction on the background of EU governance and several (critical) theoretical perspectives, the first and major part of the course zooms in on the workings “behind the scenes” of the EU’s three main legislative institutions (i.e. the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament) as well as their practical interaction. This part attempts to provide a more fine-grained understanding of EU policy-making processes, moving from the formal institutional rules to informal practices. The second part delves into recent significant trends to the functioning of EU governance, i.e. the challenge of illiberal democracy and the opportunity of EU democratic renewal.

During the first four weeks you will consecutively lead a seminar discussion on the literature in so-cal;led ‘lead groups’. You are also supposed to foster class discussions on the literature. The format consists of two parts: presentation and peer feedback.
You engage in an on-site simulation exercise about the EU legislative process by each representing (a part of) one of the EU legislative institutions. The main objective of this assignment is to put into practice your knowledge of this process and to experience first-hand how this process works or could work.
As the final assignment you will write a paper about a specific subject related to the course’s general content.

Please note that this is not an introductory course. Participants are expected to have a basic understanding of the workings of the EU before registering for this course. This means a reasonable level of knowledge of the main institutions (i.e. Commission, Council, Parliament) and legislative processes of the EU (e.g. ordinary legislative procedure). For example, you might have acquired this level by having completed a course on the EU at a Dutch university or abroad (e.g. in Utrecht, by having completed European Governance (USG4180) or Foundations of European Union Law (RGBUIER008)).

Note for exchange students
Resits may be scheduled after the end of the teaching period. Please consider this when planning your departure from the Netherlands. If in doubt, please ask the course coordinator when the resit is scheduled.