Admission requirements
Required course(s):
None, but Principles of Public International Law and Sovereignty & Statehood are recommended.
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the structure and functioning of the European Union (EU) through the lens of European Union law. EU law represents a vast and dynamic field of law, forming an essential part of the legal frameworks of the EU's Member States. A substantial proportion of the rules and regulations in force across these Member States originate from Brussels.
While it is not feasible to cover all aspects of EU law, the course aims to provide a robust overview of the nature of the EU legal system, its institutional framework, and the fundamental principles that govern it. Key questions will be addressed, such as: What are the origins of European integration going back over 60 years ago? How has the Union evolved from the six-member European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the current 27-member bloc, which addresses a wide range of issues? What roles do the European Commission and other EU institutions play? How do the national courts of the Member States and the Court of Justice of the European Union work together? What are the sources of EU law, and how is EU law made? How does the EU legal order interact with the domestic legal systems of its Member States? What makes the EU legal order unique? How can individuals invoke EU law against their own governments? And what does the future of the EU hold? These and other pertinent questions will be explored in the course.
Course Objectives
Knowledge:
- After successful completion of this course, the students will have basic knowledge of EU law, especially the constitutional development of the EU, the competences and workings of its institutions, the special characteristics of the EU legal order (direct effect, primacy), legal remedies for individuals, other enforcement mechanisms of EU law, and recent challenges to the EU.
Skills:
After successful completion of this course, students will have the ability to recognize and analyse situations in which EU law is applied and used to solve legal problems.
The ability to read and examine decisions of the Court of Justice of the EU, and use them to build and support their own legal argumentation.
The ability to assess current topics legally and critically, using knowledge about EU law, to form a well-substantiated opinion in current debates about the EU and its future.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
This course is structured around seminars twice a week. Students are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to each seminar and to actively engage in discussions with both the instructor and their peers. The knowledge and skills acquired during the course will be assessed through participation in a moot court as well as through the midterm and final exam.
Assessment Method
Skeleton arguments for moot court, 11%
Oral pleadings in moot court, 19%
Midterm exam, 25%
Final exam, 45%
Reading list
We use Steve Peers and Catherine Barnard, European Union Law (Oxford University Press, most recent edition), as a textbook for this course.
Additional required readings, such as case law, will be listed in the syllabus.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Otto Spijkers, o.spijkers@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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