OCEU 2205 - Law of External Relations of the European Union

***UPDATED for 2024/25*** To be updated very soon

The course Law of External Relations of the European Union provides students with a comprehensive picture of the current law and policy governing EU external relations. Students will first be introduced to the fundamental principles and laws of EU external relations (EU actors, treaty-making and competences), followed by external relations policies (CFSP, Trade and Development policy) and their respective interactions. The interactive lectures will introduce into the subjects of law and policy and the tutorials address legal issues through cases and tasks (for instance, the EU as a diplomatic actor, the EP‘s role in EU external representation and the relation between Common Foreign and Security Policy and other EU external policies).

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the EU and international framework governing the EU’s external relations
• Explain the competences, actors, procedures and instruments in EU external relations policy- and law-making
• Conceptualise different aspects of the relationship between European and International law
• Analyse important case law of the Court of Justice in the field of EU external relations

Professional Skills

Legal argumentation, ability to read, discuss and critically reflect on legal texts and policy documents

Basic understanding of the EU institutional legal order, especially the tasks of the EU institutions

Feedback: correct answer will be discussed with students during the meeting thereafter and publication of results at the end of the course

One take-home assignment will be assessed during the course and handed in individually by students (20 percent of the overall grade), max. 800 words, mid-term.

Online exam of two hours, similar to the mid-term assessment, two questions (one case law question and one general question), (80 percent of the overall grade, assessed at the end of the course)

• In Class Presence: 4 hours every second week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 1 hours a week
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours per week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work:
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours per week