2023-2024 / DROI8010-1

European institutional law

Duration

36h Th

Number of credits

 Bachelor in law4 crédits 
 Bachelor in political sciences : general4 crédits 
 Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculty of Law, Political Science and Criminology)4 crédits 

Lecturer

Jonathan Wildemeersch

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

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 course provides an in-depth analysis of the way European institutions work (i.e. internal functioning, role, evolution) and a presentation of legislative and jurisdictional procedures under European Union law.
The introductory chapter describes the context in which the European Union was founded, its evolution and its main features. The first chapter provides an overview of the competences of the European Union. The second chapter presents the institutional framework, i.e. the composition of the institutions, their functioning and their respective role. The third chapter discusses the interplays between European Union law and national laws.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of the course, students will have learnt the major phases of the European project and should be able to understand the institutional architecture of the European Union.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Students must have followed and successfully completed the first-year ("bloc 1") course on "Introduction to Public law" in order to follow this course (the requirement is not applicable to Erasmus students).

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course is based on ex cathedra lectures. Students are invited to participate actively in class discussions on reading materials (e.g. press articles, interviews, case law, etc.). Any reading materials will be published prior to the class on MyULiège.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course

Recommended or required readings

The Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) are required to follow this course. Only the official version is allowed. Students can purchase this official version of the Treaties on campus at Presses Universitaires or, alternatively, print it from EurLex website.

Students may bring the TEU and the TFEU, provided they comply with the instructions set out in the "Assessment methods" section below.

Detailed slides following the course's structure will be provided to students during the semester (via myULiège) as a supplement to lecture classes.


Mandatory reading(s):

Laurent GAUDE, Nous, l'Europe : Banquet des peuples, Actes Sud, 2019. The book is available from Presses Universitaires.

Any additional reading materials potentially required will be sent to students prior to the class via MyULiège.


Optional reading:

Students may refer to the following textbook for extra academic support: Laurent COUTRON, Droit de l'Union européenne - Institutions, sources, contentieux, Dalloz, 6e éd., 2021

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )


Additional information:

The exam will cover the semester's lectures, including those given by guest speakers.

The exam consists in a written exam and will be held in January.

In addition to the compilation of the reading materials, the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) - including their protocols, annexes and declarations - are allowed during the exam. Only the official versions of these documents may be used. They can be purchased at the Presses Universitaires, or printed by the students (EurLex).


Non-French speaking students enrolled at the University of Liège as part of an interfaculty convention are entitled to use a printed version of both the TEU and TFEU in their native language. Only the official versions of these documents may be used.  They will also be allowed to use a bilingual dictionary (i.e. French/their native language).

The abovementioned documents may only be underlined or highlighted. References to the provisions of the Treaties are allowed. Post-it notes are allowed, provided they only reproduce the text of Treaties' structure (e.g. chapters, sections, etc.).

Documents will be checked during the exam. Any student using non-compliant documents will be excluded from the exam room and will receive a zero mark, without prejudice to disciplinary sanctions.

Mandatory reading

The reading of Nous, l'Europe : Banquet des peuples by Laurent Gaudé will also be assessed. A one-page essay, on a theme specified at the beginning of the year, is due on 17 November 2023. The mark obtained on this occasion will be included in the overall grade for the course.

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Not applicable.

Contacts

For any questions regarding the course, students should contact Ms. Margaux Clément (teaching assistant) by e-mail (margaux.clement@uliege.be).

Questions will be answered either by e-mail, or in person by Ms Margaux Clément or, if necessary, the professor (by appointment only) in the Trifac building (B33, 2nd floor, IEJE).

Association of one or more MOOCs

There is no MOOC associated with this course.

Items online

Droit institutionnel européen - Outline and case-law
The document includes :

- the course "outline";

- a list of the main judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union that are useful for the course.

 

Turkey's EU accession process
Article from the newspaper La Libre (with Belga),  published on 1.10.2023

Explanatory note of Turkey's EU accession process (European Council's website).