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Introduction to the Law & Institutions of the EU

Code Cours
2324-ESPOL-EIS-EN-1002
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Établissement
ESPOL European School of Political and Social Sciences
Langue d'enseignement
FR, EN
Ce cours apparaît dans les formation(s) suivante(s)
Licence Science Politique - Parcours Européen - Crédits ECTS:
Période
S2

Présentation

Objectifs

This is an introductory course to the study of the European Union as a political and legal entity.
The process of European integration has been one of the most crucial developments since 1945.
Covering the biggest part of the European continent, EU institutions are playing a decisive role in
most areas of the political and economic life of EU Member States, while having evolved into
important global actors. EU Law has radically affected the traditional distinction between national
and international law. In the past years, a series of crises have come to shaken the foundations of
the European Union. The 2008 global financial crisis and the subsequent crisis of the Euro have
fueled various waves of Euroscepticism. A supplementary challenge has been posed by wars in
Middle East and Africa creating waves of refugees, while economic and climate factors sustain
other migratory flows, too. The first ever withdrawal on an entire Member State in January 2021
following up on the 2016 Brexit vote points to a deep institutional, democratic and identity crisis
raising the question of whether the institutional setting of the European Union is fit for the
future. Any effort of apprehending what’s in stake can only start with getting a solid base of
knowledge on the institutional design and legal construction of the EU.



The aim of this course is to provide students with an Introduction to the Law and Institutions of
the European Union offering a basic theoretical and empirical background for EU studies, while
tracing historical evolutions and highlighting contemporary challenges. Combining both a legal and
a political science perspective, the course strongly encourages multidisciplinary approaches and
critical thinking on EU matters as well as reflections on current events using the knowledge and
insights obtained in the lectures and tutorials.


By the end of the course, students are expected to master the basic concepts of EU Institutions and
EU Law and understand the functioning of the EU. They shall be able to describe the basic
competences of the EU, its relation with the national level and the role of each institution or EU
body in the EU legislative process and decision making. Students will also have a first contact with
the history of EU integration and the theories of integration. Finally, they shall be able to develop
critical and analytical thinking on the EU as a political system.

Présentation


INTRODUCTION



  1. 1. A brief history of EU institutions since the 50s : evolution & crises – Lecture 1 13/1/2022 Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Chapter 1, p. 1-16 and Chapter 2.


PART I – THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE EU



  1. 2. The EU institutional structure and the central role of the European Commission in the EU’s “Mixed Polity” – Lecture 2 20/1/2022 and Tutorial 1 25/2/2022 or 26/2/2022


Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Chapters 5 + 8 (30 + 26 pages)



  1. 3. Member States in the EU institutional structure: The Council of the EU and the European Council – Lecture 3 27/1/2022 and Tutorial 2 1/2/2022 or 2/2/2022


Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Chapter 4 (28 pages)



  1. 4. The European Parliament – Lecture 4 3/2/2022 and Tutorial 3 8/2/2022 or 9/2/2022


Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Chapter 6 (25 pages)



  1. 5. Civil society & lobby groups : the role of interest representatives in the EU – Lecture 5 10/2/2022 and Tutorial 4 22/2/2022 or 23/2/2022


Reading : Hélène Michel, La « société civile » dans la « gouvernance européenne » - éléments pour une sociologie d'une catégorie politique, Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales 2007/1 n° 166-167 (9 pages)



  1. 6. Beyond the institutional triangle: presentation of the other EU bodies focusing on the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) & the European Central Bank (ECB) – Lecture 5 24/2/2022 Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Chapter 9 (23 pages)


  1. 7. Conceptualising and theorising EU integration – Lecture 7 3/3/2021 Tutorial 5 8/3/2022 or 9/3/2022


Reading: Dermot HODSON & John PETERSON (2017) The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Chapters 1 & 17 (30+18 pages)


PART II – THE LEGAL ORDER OF THE EU



  1. 8. The sources of EU law & the EU legislative process (2h) : primary and secondary EU law and how they are made – Lecture 8 10/3/2022 and Tutorial 7 (trilogue simulation) 15/3/2022 or 16/3/2022


Reading: Robert SCHÜTZE (2015) An Introduction to European Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition, Chapter 2 (26 pages)



  1. 9. EU competences & national competences. EU Law is Domestic or Intenational Law? – Lecture 9 17/3/2022 and Tutorial 8 22/3/2021 or 23/3/2022


Reading: Robert SCHÜTZE (2015) An Introduction to European Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition, Selection of pages from Chapter 3 & 5


10. The question of EU law’s supremacy & CJEU historical cases wrap-up – Lecture 10 24/3/2021 and Tutorial 8 29/3/2022 or 30/3/2022


Reading: Robert SCHÜTZE (2015) An Introduction to European Law, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition, Chapter 5, 6, 7.3 and 8.3


CONCLUDING SESSIONS (current debates)


11. Inequalities in EU integration and the democratic question – Lecture 11 31/3/2022


Reading: Fritz W. SCHARPF (1997) Economic integration, democracy and the welfare state


12. EU Migration policies or any other subject you might think of during the eleven first sessions - Lecture 12 7/4/2022


Modalités

Évaluation

Ressources

Bibliographie

<strong>Compulsory Readings</strong>|| <ul> <li><b>(!) Dermot HODSON, John PETERSON (2017) <i>The Institutions of the European Union</i>, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4thedition.</b></li> </ul> <ul> <li><b>(!) Robert SCHÜTZE (2015) <i>An Introduction to European Law</i>, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2ndedition. </b></li> </ul> |||| <strong>Academic journals</strong>|| <strong> </strong>Relevant articles on the topics discussed in the course appear regularly on comparative politics and law journals. Specialized journals on EU affairs include:|| <i> </i>|| <ul> <li><i>Comparative European Politics</i>(Palgrave) </li> <li><i>European Journal of Political Research</i>(Blackwell) </li> <li><i>European Political Science</i>(Palgrave) </li> <li><i>European Union Politics</i>(Sage) </li> <li><i>Journal of Common Market Studies</i>(Wiley-Blackwell) </li> <li><i>Journal of Contemporary European Studies</i>(Taylor and Francis) </li> <li><i>Journal of European Integration</i>(Taylor and Francis) </li> <li><i>West European Politics</i>(Taylor and Francis) </li> <li><i>European Constitutional Law Review</i>(Cambridge University Press) </li> <li><i>European Law Journal</i>(Wiley) </li> <li><i>European Law Review</i>(Sweet and Maxwell) </li> <li><i>European Public Law</i>(Kluwer) </li> </ul> <strong>, </strong>