50204 - KEY ISSUES IN EU LAW
Department of Law
Course taught in English
ACME (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - AFC (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - AI (6 credits - I sem. - OP | 12 credits IUS/14) - CLELI (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - CLMG (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - DES-ESS (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - DSBA (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - EMIT (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - ESS (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - FIN (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - GIO (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - IM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - MM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14) - PPA (6 credits - I sem. - OP | IUS/14)
Course Director:
ELEANOR SPAVENTA
ELEANOR SPAVENTA
Suggested background knowledge
Students who do not have a background knowledge of EU law should acquaint themselves with the basic institutional and constitutional architecture of the EU and should read A. Arnull EU Law: a Very Short Introduction (OUP 2017) or M. Dawson & F. De Witte EU Law and Governance (CUP 2022).
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
The course aims to introduce students to advanced and separate topics of EU law, so as to equip them with more sophisticated tools to understand and work with EU law. In particular, the first part of the course covers the External Relations of the EU, focusing on the constitutional foundations and specific policies (Common Commercial Policy, Common Foreign and Security Policy, Common Security and Defence Policy as well as the use of “informal” agreements in the field of migration). The second part of the course focuses on the constitutional and institutional architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), including its historical context, its theoretical and legal foundations, and its evolution in response to the euro crisis and the pandemic. The third part of the course deals with EU State aid control to understand how the EU Commission ensures the level playing field in the internal market. Students will study the EU State aid legal regime and the role played by State aid rules in times of emergency, during the pandemic and geopolitical turbulences.
CONTENT SUMMARY
· Introduction to the external relations in the EU system
· Constitutional foundations of the EU external relations: the EU external competence and instruments of EU external action
· The Common Commercial Policy
· The Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy
· Informal” Agreements in the field of migration
· History and Theoretical Foundations of an “incomplete” EMU;
· EMU’s Legal Framework: a core asymmetry between the monetary and economic pillar;
· The EU’s response to the euro crisis: financial assistance and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), judicial scrutiny of bailouts, ECB’s bond-buying programmes;
· The EU’s response to the pandemic: Nex Generation EU and its impact on EMU;
· The future of EMU: completing the banking union and other proposals
· State Aid Rationale
· The Notion of State Aid
· Compatibility of State Aid
· Recovery of State Aid
· State Aid in times of emergence
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Define and describe the workings and the shortcomings of EU policies in the relevant areas.
- Illustrate their points with examples from the case law, policy documents and acts of the EU institutions.
- Summarize effectively and critically complex information and express clearly their opinions on the topics examined. Argue coherently their viewpoint illustrating their answers with examples.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of EU action in the policy areas under examination.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Organize and structure information in a coherent and logical way to support legal arguments.
- Identify relevant legal principles and apply them to concrete case studies.
- Collaborate effectively with peers
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Collaborative Works / Assignments
- Interaction/Gamification
DETAILS
The classes are intended to stimulate and ensure student participation. To this end, there are going to be group assignments as well as problem question solving within the class.
Attendance is not mandatory but highly recommended. Attending students have the opportunity to participate in group assignments.
Assessment methods
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ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
The final exam aims to assess students' knowledge and understanding of the workings and the shortcomings of EU policies in the relevant areas as well as their ability to critically assess discrete topics of EU law.
The group assignment is designed to test students' ability to conduct independent research and critically engage with, and examine, relevant primary and secondary sources (caselaw, legislation, scholarship).
The final exam aims to assess students' knowledge and understanding of the workings and the shortcomings of EU policies in the relevant areas as well as their ability to critically assess discrete topics of EU law.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Teaching materials consist of specialist articles and chapters from books, case law, policy documents etc, as well as the slides used during the lectures. Where possible, and consistently with copyright, teaching materials are uploaded on Bboard; where teaching material cannot be directly uploaded detailed references are given on Bboard.
Last change 14/07/2025 08:11