EU and EEA Institutional Law and Policymaking - Master

This interdisciplinary course aims to provide students with a comprehensive overview of EU/EEA institutional and constitutional law, as well as providing an introduction to EU/EEA politics and policymaking.

Teaching on the course will focus particularly on how EU and EEA law is made, the various political theories of European integration which shape them, and how they are interpreted, applied, and enforced by various actors at national and international level in practice.

The topics covered by the course constitute the very core of EU/EEA cooperation, and will include (but not be limited to):

• Theories of EU/EEA integration
• Policy competences and institutional structures of the EU/EEA
• The role of the EU as an international actor
• The (non-)hierarchical sources of EU/EEA law, and how they interrelate
• EU/EEA legislative processes
• The joint role of the European Court of Justice, EFTA Court and national administrative and judicial authorities in affording judicial protection to individuals, Member States, and the institutions of the EU/EEA

The course will look to go further than, and for most students build further on, general introductory courses on EU/EEA law they may already have taken, by delving deeper into the issues and by providing interdisciplinary insights into the policymaking and political aspects and theories of EU and EEA cooperation.

Knowledge

By the end of the course, students will be expected to be able to demonstrate:

• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the core institutional rules and principles set out in the EU Treaty, EEA Agreement and EFTA Surveillance and Court Agreement.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the EU and EEA policymaking and regulatory regimes, and their relationship to the national political and legal systems of the EEA Member States.
• General awareness of the most recent developments in the case-law of the EU and EFTA Courts and national courts of the EEA states concerning institutional legal issues.
• General knowledge and understanding of the polity, politics, and policies of the EU and EEA, including the role of key political actors, such as interest groups and political parties.
• Familiarity with the main theories of European integration.

Skills

By the end of the course, students should have developed the following skills:

• Reading and critical analysis enabling them to evaluate academic works in the field on institutional EU/EEA law
• Written and oral skills, including the clear and succinct expression of ideas through presentations and case-studies
• A basic grounding in legal research skills and techniques relevant and transferable to all fields of EU and EEA substantive law
• Ability to relate the knowledge acquired throughout the course to current political and legal events and developments within the EU and EEA
• Ability to discuss and reflect on the EU/EEA policies, the institutional arrangements behind them, and their possible legal and policymaking implications both presently and in the future

Competencies

By the end of the course, students should have developed the following general competencies:

• The ability to think critically, independently and constructively
• The ability to formulate arguments based on a variety of sources, and to initiate a dialogue between those sources
• The ability to reflect upon, synthesize and present knowledge in a simple and efficient way under time constraints (2-day take home examination).