Admission requirements
This course is only available to Honours students
Description
Europe once ruled the world, but now the continent is under attack from all sides, including from within. Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the continent as a win-win region. He has been buying influence in the Western Balkans for years and trying to tear the European Union apart. Russia feels threatened and President Putin conducts covert and now also military operations to disrupt NATO. President Trump, meanwhile, made it easy for the Russians and Chinese by turning away from his closest allies and opening the attack on Europe himself. President Biden seems again more involved in Europe, but still pursues an America first strategy and is aware that the future is all about the Asian region. Prime Minister Johnson thought he would be better off outside the European Union and the Hungarian and Polish leaders are undermining the democratic rule of law. They all believe that a strong European Union stands in the way of their ambitions. Political leaders struggle with an answer. The corona crisis, the war in Ukraine and many other issues have further increased the challenge. Can we win this battle for Europe? Can Biden Repair the Damage Trump has brought? What will the relationship between Germany and France bring? Will the EU remain a player in the world, or will the continent become the playground of world powers?
This course will explore current challenges and opportunities to and within the EU. This is done through different perspectives but is always focused on current affairs. With guest lectures from experts in different fields and practical exercises, students will explore the current challenges and opportunities. In a group assignment The Future of Europe, a Message to Europeans students are challenged to debate and write a common perspective on what values, projects and ideals should hold together countries within the EU facing current and future developments. In an individual assignment students tackle a challenge of their own choice and advice the EU on how to approach it. Finally, a short exam of 4 open questions will test the development of the knowledge of students throughout the course. The 4 open questions will relate to the current affairs topics that were discussed in the lectures.
The current affairs topics are not picked yet as these will focus on what is relevant at that point in time.
Course objectives
Formulate a perspective on threats and opportunities for the European Union.
Develop a policy advice on a current issue in relation to the developments within or outside the European Union.
Analyse the functioning of the European Union.
Analyse current affairs and issues within the European Union and external which have an impact on it.
Explain the major milestones and developments within the European Union.
Create a personal perspective on current and ongoing issues within and about the future of the EU.
Programme and timetable:
27th of March, session 1: Introductions. The first session will allow for introductions among the students and their backgrounds, furthermore a discussion will take place to ensure everyone is fully up to date with the functioning of the European Union. During the second half of the session attention will be given to the assessment methods and students will be able to form groups for the group assignments. The session will be concluded with a discussion on recent developments and looking forward to the different sessions.
3rd of April, session 2: Current affairs. Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe and the European Union. It will be an understatement to say the war in Ukraine has changed the EU’s role on the world stage. But what do these current developments mean for the EU and how can these be strategised to increase the EU’s influence in global politics? Is there such a thing as the Brussels effect? How does the EU relate to the old and new forms of power?
10th of April, session 3: Current affairs. The rule of law seems to be under threat in the European Union. Member states have different opinions on how to deal with certain dissident members. One recent and interesting development is the use of the EU’s budget to force Hungary and Poland to adhere to the standards of the EU’s “rule of law”. Guest lectures will delve deeper in the case against the EU commission on how it is using the EU budget. The European Court of Justice rejected the objections of Hungary and Poland to a 2020 regulation that allows the European Union to cut some member state funding based on rule of law performance. And will delve deeper into the consequences of the conditionality regulations of the EU for member states.
17th of April, session 4: Current affairs. During this session a guest lecturer will delve deeper into the Balkans. The Balkans play an important role in the future of Europe, being encircled by EU member states and some countries being NATO members EU membership continues to be a hot topic. Developments in Ukraine and the EU’s relationship with Russia may change the approach to these potential member states. But what are the current challenges in this region which produces more history than it can consume? And what should the role of the EU be?
24th of April, session 5: Current affairs. During this session a guest lecturer will delve deeper into the challenges terrorism and extreme violence poses to the security of the EU but also the nation state. International collaboration is important, but which role can the Union take both in its near abroad and in international cooperation?
1st of May, session 6: Current affairs. During this session we will zoom in on the current developments in the digital sphere. Misinformation, recruitment, hybrid warfare, they all rely on cyberspace. The EU is often praised for how it has battled for the protection of the privacy of its citizens and now for taking up the fight against large companies dominating cyberspace. But what are the opportunities and challenges? What should and can the EU do?
8th of May, session 7: Current affairs. The EEAS (European External Action Service), is it really effective and able to conduct diplomacy? The EU is not a state, if anything it has no comparable position anywhere in the world. But it does have diplomats and is highly influential. It has a seat a important tables and missions to many other countries. It implements projects and tries to better the lives of many in line with EU values and interest. In this session a guest lecturer will delve deeper into the subject.
15th of May, session 8: Current affairs. Rob de Wijk will delve deeper in some of the current challenges for the European Union and which opportunities as well. Will there be a common defense? What are the interest in Eastern Europe? How to deal with Russia, China and the United states?
22nd of May, session 9: Wrap up. During the sessions an evaluation of the course will take place, a discussion on what students perceive as the challenges and opportunities of the European Union.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the studyguide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
Contact hours: 24
Self-study: 116
24 hours of 8 lectures.
72 hours of self-study on relevant literature.
21 hours on group podcast the Future of Europe, a message to Europeans.
21 hours on individual essay A Policy Brief for the European Union.
2 hours short essay question with 4 questions on the topics discussed during the lectures.
Assessment method
- Group project podcast: in groups of 4 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) students will develop and record a podcast of approximately 30 minutes. The podcast should aim to inform the public at large about current affairs and developments within the European Union. The format of the podcast could be anything from interviews with the public, interviews with experts to a discussion between the students themselves and anything in between. It should be attractive and entertaining to listen to while at the same time interesting and informative.
- Individual policy paper. Students can pick a topic of their choice; however, it must be relevant and current. First, they will have to analyze the topic and identify the problem or challenge. Here they also discuss why this should be a concern of the EU and be given attention. Second, they will provide an overview of what has been done so far, or what has been done in comparable cases. Lastly, they will have to provide an advice on how best to deal with the situation and give practical tips on how to move forward.
- Short essay questions: on a certain moment in the course students will receive 4 short essay questions digitally for which they will have 24 hours to complete them. This is an open book assignment and they are allowed to use any sources from the course or alternative. Each question will need an answer of minimum 200 and maximum 500 words including references.
Group podcast the Future of Europe, a Message to Europeans (30%)
Individual policy paper (40%)
Short essay questions (30%)
Sufficient grade (> 5.50) for every single assignment, compensation not possible.
Reading list
To be determined further based on the guest lectures:
Session 1:
Corbett, R, J. Peterson, and D. Kenealy, D (2012) The EU Institutions, in Kenealy, D. J. Peterson, and R. Corbett (eds) The European Union: How does it work. Oxford, Oxford UP (pp. 47- 72) [only pp. 48-65]
Shackleton, M. (2012) The European Parliament, in Peterson, J. and M. Shackleton (eds) The Institutions of the European Union. Oxford, Oxford UP [Only 124-134, 140-147]).
Session 3:
Bárd, P., and Kazai, V.Z. (2022) Enforcement of a Formal Conception of the Rule of Law as a Potential Way Forward to Address Backsliding: Hungary as a Case Study, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 14:165–193. This paper can be found on google drive.
Protecting the Rule of Law in Hungary and Poland: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/protecting-rule-law-hungary-and-poland
European Union’s Top Court Rules Against Hungary and Poland in Rule of Law Showdown: https://worldjusticeproject.org/news/european-union’s-top-court-rules-against-hungary-and-poland-rule-law-showdown
EU report renews Hungary, Poland rule-of-law critiques amid key negotiations: https://www.politico.eu/article/commission-unveil-critical-rule-law-report-against-hungary-poland/
ECJ dismisses Hungary-Poland rule-of-law challenge: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-top-court-dismisses-hungary-poland-rule-of-law-challenge/a-60793974
The final countdown: The EU, Poland, and the rule of law: https://ecfr.eu/article/the-final-countdown-the-eu-poland-and-the-rule-of-law/
Session 4:
Nicolaides, P., Negotiating Effectively for Accession to the European Union: Realistic Expectations, Feasible Targets, Credible Arguments. This paper can be found on google drive.
Lelieveldt, H. and S. Princen (2011). The Politics of the European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: [only 232-238]. This paper can be found on google drive.
Scharpf, F.W. (1999): Governing in Europe. Effective and Democratic?, Oxford: Oxford UP, [Only pp. 43-49].
Young, A. (2010) The Single Market. Deregulation, Reregulation, and Integration, in Wallace, H., M. A. Pollack and A. Young (eds) Policy-Making in the European Union, (6th edition), Oxford, Oxford UP pp. 107-132 [Only pp. 107-115].
Hodson, D. (2015) Policy-Making under Economic and Monetary union: Crisis, Change and Continuity, in Wallace, H., M. A. Pollack and A. Young (eds) Policy-Making in the European Union, (7th edition), Oxford, Oxford UP pp. 166-195 [Only pp. 166-176]
Registration
Contact
Teacher: Hans van den Berg: hans@youngdiplomat.org
Honours Coordinator: Annette Righolt; a.j.e.righolt@fgga.leidenuniv.nl