EU Institutions and Politics

Description of the content:

The European Union (EU) is a major challenge to the way in which we usually think about institutions and politics. This course is introductory and studies the EU as a political organization, offering a basic theoretical and empirical background for EU studies. We will be tracing the EU’s historical evolutions, explaining the ways in which its institutions have become decisive actors on the global scene as much as for the Member States, and highlighting how EU policies impact the social, political and economic arenas. An important element of current developments undeniably concerns the recent challenges that are affecting the continent and threatening the European project. In 2008, the financial crisis soon translated into a crisis of the Euro(zone), shaking one of the most strongly established EU domain. Only a few years later, wars and revolutions in Africa and the Middle East led to massive migratory flows, while climate issues raised as a major global challenge worldwide but arguably with the EU becoming the eye of the storm. Last but not least, a majority of UK citizens voted to leave the EU in 2016, eventually leading to the first ever withdrawal of a Member State, the chaotic negotiation process essentially revealing a deep institutional and identity crisis. Taken together, these ‘crises’ also gave unprecedented echo to those voicing criticisms of the EU to various degrees, including (but not limited to) Euroscepticism. To apprehend what is at stake in such situations, this course starts with getting a solid basic knowledge on the historical foundations, institutional design and policy-outputs of the EU through a critical outlook.

Course's aims:

Overall knowledge of the topic:

• Master the basic concepts of EU Institutions and understand the functioning of the EU.


• Be familiar with the main historical steps of EU integration and some of the theories and debates of integration.


• Understand the competences of the EU, the articulation of the supranational with the national level and the role of each institution in the EU legislative process and decision-making.


• Develop critical and analytical thinking on the EU as a political system, and an appreciation for how the EU is perceived and affect different populations.


• Understand differences and similarities in the relation of the EU with different political systems.

Acquired skills:

• Students are expected to actively engage on the various course’s component.


• Develop a vocabulary to discuss the EU and political systems.


• Develop oral skills with a process in place to receive immediate and constructive feedback to improve them during the course.


• Develop knowledge about how to properly research and use scientific materials.


• Present a reasoned opinion (i.e. using evidence from academic research) about an issue.


• Develop and deliver a professional presentation of an argument.