Select Topics in European Union Law

1 unit

This course offers an insight into some selected aspects of the law of European Union. The EU is an organization of twenty-seven European States. Although the EU is not a federal state, its powers and institutions go well beyond traditional models of international organizations. In brief, this is a supranational organization situated in a grey zone between constitutional and international structures. Its impressive scope of powers (usually shared with member states) ranges from economic, market and monetary integration to the field of 'justice and home affairs' (immigration, anti-terrorism, policing, criminal and civil law coordination) and some common aspects of foreign affairs and defense. The course is structured into five sessions, each dealing with one aspect of EU law. It examines, first, the historical development and the institutional scheme of the EU. The second session is devoted to the nature of EU law, in particular, the structure and role of the judicial adjudication. The third session deals with the concept of primacy of EU law, and the fourth - with the principle of direct effect of EU law. We will also examine EU relations/tensions with its member-states, particularly, the dialogue between the EU Court of Justice and the national constitutional and supreme courts ). At the final session we will discuss the protection of fundamental rights in EU law, seen in the perspective of the prohibition of discrimination. Prerequisites: none. Method of evaluation: take-home exam. Credits: 1.0