Duration
45h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Language(s) of instruction
French 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 comprehensive analysis of the European Union's institutional and jurisdictional system. The first part describes the EU's political goals. The second part presents the system of hard rules that was created to achieve these objectives. The third part presents the institutional and state bodies involved in the EU, and explains their respective roles. The fourth part explains the European union's competences. Finally, the fifth part analyses the procedures followed to revise treaties, adopt legislation and handle disputes.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, students will know the main steps involved in building Europe, and be able to understand the EU's institutional architecture.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Students must have completed the first-year course on "Introduction to public law" in order to follow the course on European institutional law (except Erasmus students).
First-year Bachelor students who wish to follow this course must have passed the exam on the introduction to public law.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is provided as lecture classes. One or more revision sessions will also be organised to prepare students for the exam.
Two extra lectures are given by a teaching-student. One of these is dedicated to training students for the exam.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Classroom lectures given during the first semester.
Recommended or required readings
The Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) are essential reading to follow the course.
Students should also download the documentation package from the MyULg portal. This material is required for the exam.
Detailed PowerPoint slides that follow the course structure will be provided to students during the semester, as a supplement to lecture classes.
Students may bring the TEU, TFEU and documentation package to the exam, provided they comply with instructions (see the section on exams, below).
Assessment methods and criteria
The material covered during lectures, as well as the documentation package, are required for the exam.
The exam is held in January, and consists in a multiple-choice test. Students have three hours to answer all questions. Non-francophone students who have enrolled to the ULg as a part of an inter-faculty convention will have an extra half-hour.
The grading system is as follows: one point is added per correct answer, half a point is subtracted per incorrect answer, and zero for no answer.
Only the documentation package, the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) - with their accompanying protocols, appendices and declarations - are permitted during the exam. Only the official versions of these documents may be used. They can be purchased at the Point de Vue store, or printed by the students.
Non-francophone students who have enrolled to the ULg as a part of an inter-faculty convention can bring versions of the TEU and TFEU in their native language. Only the official versions of these documents may be used. They may also bring a bilingual dictionary for French and their native language.
The documents may only be underlined or highlighted. Post-it notes, even if blank, are strictly forbidden, as are any handwritten notes, including arrows and article references.
Documents will be checked during the exam. Any student using non-compliant documents will be excluded from the exam room and receive a zero mark, without prejudice to possible disciplinary sanctions.
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Les étudiants Erasmus qui ont besoin de crédits supplémentaires pour valider le cours de droit institutionnel européen dans le programme ont la possibilité de rendre à cet effet un travail écrit d'une valeur de deux crédits. Ils doivent prendre contact avant le 1er octobre, par e-mail, avec Madame Vandenbosch (à l'adresse suivante : Sofia.Vandenbosch@ulg.ac.be) afin d'être informés des modalités pratiques et du calendrier.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
This course is given during the first term, with 2-hour classes twice a week.
Contacts
For any questions about the course, students may contact assistant Ms Vandenbosch, by e-mail only, at the following address: Sofia.Vandenbosch@ulg.ac.be. Questions will be answered either by e-mail, or in person by Ms Vandenbosch in her office (building 33 (Trifac), 2nd floor, IEJE hallway). Students requesting a meeting should send a list of questions by e-mail, 48 hours before the meeting at the latest. If questions are not received by this time, the meeting will be cancelled. Professor Petit can be reached by e-mail at the following address: nicolas.petit@ulg.ac.be