Prospectus

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Essentials of EU Law

Course
2019-2020

Course requirements

Master degree in Law. This course is part of the Advanced Master Law and Finance.

More information: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/master/law-and-finance

Course information

This course aims to provide students insight in the basic elements of the EU legal order and its internal market.

First, students will acquire working knowledge of the EU’s autonomous legal order, the sources of EU law and the relationship between EU law and national law. This includes the mechanisms for the judicial enforcement of rights and obligations under EU law.

Second, students will acquire a working knowledge of the functioning of the internal market, specifically as regards the freedoms that are most relevant for financial regulation: free movement of services, establishment and capital.

Students will learn to find, interpret and apply the EU Treaties, EU legislation and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union to basic case studies.

The course will go into the relationship between EU law and national law, including basic doctrines such as supremacy and direct effect, as well as the different mechanisms for the judicial enforcement of rights and obligations under EU law.

Course learning objectives

  • Students will be able to identify the different institutions and their role in the EU legal order

  • Students can find, interpret and apply the different sources of EU law

  • Students understand the relationship between EU law and national law, including basic doctrines such as supremacy and direct effect.

  • Students understand the different mechanism for the judicial enforcement of rights and obligations under EU law and know which legal remedy applies in a specific context.

  • Students know how to identify the four different freedoms in the internal market, and

  • can apply the basic internal market tests to assess if national measures form a restriction and if so, whether this restriction may be justified.

  • Students understand the relevance of EU law in financial regulation, which will be discussed in more detail further in the Advanced Master Programme.

Mode of instruction

Lectures

  • Number of (2 hour) lectures: 10

  • Names of lecturers: Dr. Vicky Kosta, Mr. Daniel Carter LLM.

  • Required preparation by students: reading of prescribed materials.

Course Load

Lectures
1) Intro & actors
2) Nature & Sources of EU law
3) Direct effect of Directives
4) Competences and Legislative Procedures
5) Delegation and Implementation
6) Judicial review
7) Internal Market & Goods
8) Persons & Citizenship
9) Services & Establishment
10) Capital

Examination method

  • Final exam: take-home exam 100%

The final exam will consist of one case study and one essay question covering topics discussed in the course. The final exam will be made available to students via Blackboard. Students will have 32h to submit their answers to the exam.

Further information about the final exam will be communicated to students through Blackboard closer to the due date and exam date.

The final grade, on the scale from 1 (poor) to 10 (outstanding), for the course is established by determining the weighted average and rounded to full grades. Grade 6 (5.5 rounded) is a pass.

Blackboard

Course syllabus and additional literature is distributed through Blackboard.

Course materials

Students are requested to study the booklet: A. Arnull, European Union Law: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2017), in advance of the course.

Tobler/Beglinger, Essential EU Law in Charts (Latest edition)

Tobler/Beglinger, Essential EU Law in Text (latest edition)

Treaty texts and secondary legislation: N. Foster, Blackstone’s EU Treaties & Legislation (Oxford University Press), latest edition.

Syllabus with recent literature and case law. The syllabus will be made available on Blackboard shortly before the beginning of the course.

Contact

Dr. Vasiliki (Vicky) Kosta (European Law Department)
Email: v.kosta@law.leidenuniv.nl

Mr. Daniel Carter LLM (European Law Department)
Email: d.w.carter@law.leidenuniv.nl

Programme Coordinator:
Ms. Orsolya Kalsbeek-Bagdi
Email address: lawandfinance@law.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks

Students are requested to study the booklet: A. Arnull, European Union Law: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2017), in advance of the course.