KDEC 7085 - European economic law

Imola STREHO : The European internal market has been a cornerstone of growth, competitiveness, and employment in the European Union, and a pivotal force for European integration since the aftermath of World War II. The continuously evolving body of internal market law has profound economic, social, and political implications for people living in Europe.

Today, the European project stands at a crossroads, as reflected in the Draghi Report on European Competitiveness (2024) and the Letta Report on the Future of the Single Market (2024). Both underscore the need to deepen and modernize the internal market to strengthen Europe’s resilience, strategic autonomy, and capacity to lead the green and digital transitions. Against this background, the course explores the structure and functioning of the internal market as both a legal and political project shaping the Union’s future.

We will begin by identifying the different steps necessary to achieve the organization and functioning of the internal market. The class will focus in particular on the rules governing the four fundamental freedoms of the European Union — the free movement of goods, services, workers, and capital. We will then examine the obstacles to free movement and conduct a contextual and functional analysis of the prohibitions on restrictions and discrimination in Member State policies. Particular attention will be paid to the Treaty provisions empowering the Union legislator to approximate national laws to ensure the effective functioning of the internal market.

The course will also place these legal developments in their contemporary policy context, considering how internal market law interacts with the EU’s green deal objectives, digital transformation, and the need to sustain competitiveness and social cohesion in a rapidly changing global environment.

The working method will primarily involve close reading and discussion of primary law, secondary law and judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), training participants to analyse the Court’s legal reasoning and its broader implications. The final session will take the form of a moot court competition, providing practical experience in argumentation and application of EU law.

Please bring the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to each seminar (available online in the Official Journal of the EU, C 115, 9 May 2009, p. 1–200).

In addition to the required readings assigned for each class, the following reference is recommended:

Catherine Barnard, Substantive Law of the EU, Oxford University Press.

Pieter-Augustijn VAN MALLEGHEM : Informations coming soon.

None.

Imola STREHO:

Attendance, preparation, participation in each session, and one in-class oral presentation – 40%.

Final exam on Moodle – 24-hour time slot scheduled during the exam period 60%

Active participation and regular attendance can earn up to one additional point on the final grade.

VAN MALLEGHEM, Pieter-augustijn : Informations coming soon.

Imola STREHO :

The course requires serious preparation ahead of each seminar. Serious preparation means that each text assigned should be read at least once, reflected upon, read again (if necessary) and discussed with other students.