Over the past years, seismic developments at the global level, such as the pandemic, the climate crisis, the digital revolution and the return of war at the doors of Europe, are profoundly altering the international order.
As a result, the EU is asked to adapt its role on the world stage and the tools at its disposal, including one of the most effective: the EU's trade policy. It is thus key to understand how EU trade policy is formulated, and the opportunities it offers in shaping the EU's role in a changing world.
The course will first explain how the EU's trade policy is developed by studying the actors, instruments, and procedures involved. It will then be divided into geographic and thematic focus lectures, in order to understand how the EU's engagement with third countries and different issues shape its trade policy.
The course is structured with a strong practical component, incorporating regular contributions and interventions from policymakers and professionals actively engaged in the topics covered in class. This approach allows students to integrate the theoretical foundation with firsthand knowledge and insights into the EU trade policy, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and its most recent developments.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Coping with the complex system of EU trade policy actors and decision making process in International Trade
2. Understanding how European Trade Policy is interwoven with other policies
3. Becoming familiar with the EU Trade Policy language, words, and acronyms
4. Having the essential background to codify news related to International Trade
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Students will have the opportunity to talk with experts, high officials and representatives of the EU institutions and will have a map of who is in charge of different dossiers. Moreover they will have the opportunity to better understand which professional careers are related to EU international trade. Finally, they will have the possibility to work on official documents of the European institutions and they will develop the needed skills to allow them to write similar documents.
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1 hours a week / 12 hours a semester
b) Individual or group simulations during the course (10%).
c) Mid-term exam (30%).
d) Final take home paper (50%)
The final will be returned two weeks after the students complete it.
Feedbacks concerning the simulations will be provided during the classes.