KAFP 3905 - The Constitutional Foundations of the EU - beginner level

The course aims to provide students with a deep understanding of the constitutional foundations of the European Union (EU). It covers the following main issues: the origins and legal nature of the EU; the competences of the EU (versus competences of the Member States), the sources of EU law, Fundamental rights, the basic principles of EU law; the EU's institutional structure; the EU's judicial system. In addition to that, the Union citizenship and the accession and withdrawal conditions will also be assessed as the basic elements of the EU's democratic legitimacy. A particular attention will be paid to the functioning of the EU institutions and the role of the European Court of Justice in shaping the EU legal order. At the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of key issues in EU Constitutional law.
Sandra SAEZ MORENO,Aikaterini ANGELAKI,Carl-Michel REISCHEL
Cours magistral seul
English
Before each session, students should check the syllabus and prepare the course reading material (e.g. texts, judgements of the European Court of Justice and doctrinal notes). The “suggested readings” are not mandatory but can be useful to give further understanding on the topics that would be discussed during the lecture. Students are also encouraged to consult the following journals: Common Market Law Review, European Law Review and Yearbook of European Law. .
Students should have basic knowledge of the main concepts of EU law. However, students with little prior knowledge of the EU legal system are also welcomed to participate. In order to better follow the course, we recommend them one of the following readings: 1) Arnull A., European Union Law: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2017 2) Rosas A., Armati L., EU Constitutional Law: An Introduction, Hart Publishing, 2018
Autumn 2022-2023
Mid-term exam: 50% of the final grade. Final exam: 50% of the final grade. Further information on the two assignments will be provided during the course.
The course is designed as an interactive lecture course that combines input from the instructors with class discussion on the assigned readings. The discussion will focus mainly on the on-going debates and challenges of the EU.
Craig P., De Burca Gr., EU Law: text, cases, and materials, Oxford University Press, 2015
Dashwood A., Dougan, M., Rodger B. J., Wyatt and Dashwood's European Union Law, Hart Publishing, 2011
Chalmers D., Davies G., Monti G., European Union law: cases and materials, Cambridge University Press, 2019
Schütze R., European Constitutional Law, Cambridge University Press, 2015
Barnard C., Peers S., European Union Law, Oxford University Press, 2017
WeilernJ.H.H., The Constitution of Europe, do the new clothes have an emperor? and other essays on European integration, Cambridge University Press, 1999
De Búrca G., Weiler J., The Worlds of European Constitutionalism, Cambridge University Press, 2011