The story of the EU as a ‘legal experiment’ or regional international organisation is still in the making. It is a story that can be traced back to the end of WWII and the Schuman Declaration of 1950. From an economic and peace project, the EU has evolved into a complex system of principles and rules that shape States’ sovereignty, individuals’ fundamental rights, and international affairs. This course introduces you to this story, to the different actors that shape it, and to the system of principles, rules and corresponding enforcement mechanisms that define the EU as we know it.
This course is complementary to the parallel course on the EU Political System taught by Professor Samuel Defacqz. As such, in this course we focus primarily on the EU as a legal subject and a legal order. We begin by exploring what the EU is and what it stands for by looking at the principles, values and objectives that (in)form the EU. We then examine not only the function and composition of the different EU institutions but also the different types of EU competence and how this competence is exercised, the ‘specific characteristics’ of the EU legal system, the complex system of EU judicial protection, and some of the main challenges currently facing the EU, such as security and defence or the fight against climate change.
- Enseignant: Cabrita Teresa