Study Programmes 2016-2017
DROI2055-2  
Advanced EU Law
Duration :
30h Th
Number of credits :
Master in law (120 ECTS)6
Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...)6
Lecturer :
Pieter Van Cleynenbreugel
Language(s) of instruction :
English language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents :
This course offers a panoramic perspective of the state of European Union law today by introducing students to a series of themes showcasing EU law's potential and limits in the current EU institutional setup. The law having played a major role in building a supranational legal order, its limits have nevertheless also become clear more than ever before, in the wake of successive Euro-crises and the results of the UK referendum on 23 June 2016. The course therefore explicitly invites students to think critically about the state of EU law - and more generally the European Union - today. The basics of the EU legal order being outlined in introductory courses to the field (at the ULg, those courses include 'droit institutionnel européen' in the second year and 'droit matériel européen' in the third), this course will presuppose some knowledge on EU law and the EU institutions in order for students to be able to follow it. If they do not have such knowledge, students will be required - in the early weeks of the course - to catch up with this independently.
The course will be structured around three themes and one supplementary topic, all related to the quest for an ever more perfect European Union grounded in law and legal norms. The first theme focuses on the EU internal market, the limits to its current setup and the steps taken to overcome some of the legal loopholes not envisaged by the Founding Fathers of the European Union. The second theme focuses on the institutional functioning of the EU in itself. A more perfect Union presupposes better streamlined institutions and decision-making procedures as well. The third theme relates to the Economic and Monetary Union, which occupies a special status within the EU Treaty framework; considered technical and esoteric by many, the crisis sparked renewed interest in this field. Finally, we end the course on the legal implications and potential future directions in the wake of the 23 June 2016 U.K. referendum results. Studying the legal implications of a pending Brexit, we will discuss how this change may affect the outlook and structure of the EU in the decades to come.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
By the end of this course, students will have gained a deeper understanding of specific themes in which EU law has played a role or in which it can be invoked.
Students will have a better command of legal English. They will be able to understand the English version of a European Court case or a European legislative instruments. They will be capable of explaining orally in English a point of law within the subject matter of this course. In addition, they will be capable of summarising a key legal argument in writing, through the obligatory forum posts in eCampus. Students will capable of developing arguments based on a problem of EU law and will be able to reflect more critically on the state and future of EU law.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Basic knowledge of EU institutional and substantive law. Ability and willingness to follow a lecture in English and to take part in discussions.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Fourteen two-hour lectures will be organised, ten of which will take place during our regular time-slot on Fridays from 10.30 to 12.30.
Four lectures will be scheduled at some other point during the semester, in addition to the lectures during our regular time-slot. This is to compensate for public holidays or scheduling conflicts.
An optional visit to the Court of Justice in Luxemburg will be organised on Thursday 17 November as well. The visit forms part of the course - for organisational purposes, students will be asked to register explicitly for this visit during the first class.
Students will have to prepare each class by reading the assigned materials and prepare for an oral discussion or other exercice as instructed.
The syllabus for this course will be available in both printed and electronic version. More information will be posted on eCampus.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
This course is taught face-to-face. Taking part in this course implies preparing for each class and taking an active part in discussions. In addition, students will be required to intervene twice on the discussion board, responding to a reflection question posted by the professor after each lecture.
Recommended or required readings :
Cases and materials as well as course outlines will be available in a printed reader, as well as online via eCampus.
The cases and materials largely contain Court of Justice case law and EU legislation. Links to doctrinal articles will be posted on eCampus.
Assessment methods and criteria :
The examination will be oral. Two questions comprising elements of different course themes will be offered to students, who will have half an hour to prepare. The exam will be open book; students can bring their annotated course materials to the prepation for the oral exam.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
14 lecture sessions and one optional visit to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxemburg will be organised:






  • Towards an ever more perfect European Union? The role of law in European integration (23/09)
  • Perfecting the internal market: horizontalising free movement rights (30/09, 8.30-10.30)
  • Perfecting the internal market: primary law v. secondary law (30/09)
  • Perfecting the internal market: economic freedoms v. social rights? (7/10, 8.30-10.30))
  • Perfecting the internal market: citizenship without limits? (7/10)
  • Improving EU institutional functioning: making sense of legal acts and instruments in EU law (14/10)
  • Improving EU institutional functioning: transparency and access to documents: buzzwords or reality? (21/10)
  • Improving EU institutional functioning: fundamental rights protection in post-Lisbon EU law (28/10)
  • Improving EU institutional functioning: effective judicial protection and direct access to EU Courts (4/11, 8.30-10.30)
  • Improving EU institutional functioning: enhanced cooperation as new institutional reality? (4/11)
  • Visit to the Court of Justice in Luxemburg (17/11)
  • Beyond market integration: legal foundations of the Economic and Monetary Union (25/11, 8.30-10.30)
  • Beyond market integration: Economic and Monetary Union in crisis (25/11)
  • Beyond market integration: saving the EMU outside and inside the EU legal order (2/12)
  • The EU law implications of a  "Brexit" (9/12)
Students will be asked to pay for a part of the transportation costs to Luxemburg on the day of the Court's visit.
Contacts :
Professor: Pieter Van Cleynenbreugel (pieter.vancleynenbreugel@ulg.ac.be)
Secretariat: Caroline Langevin (caroline.langevin@ulg.ac.be)
Items online :
Cases & Materials
This document contains lecture session outlines as well as materials covered in class. A printed version will be made available as well.