The Law of the European Institutions

Course objectives

At the end of the course, students should have acquired adequate knowledge, practical skills and a 
critical understanding with respect to the following: 

• The role and significance of law in the European integration process. 
• The legal foundations of the European Union (EU) (as set out in the Treaties). 
• The institutions of the EU, their historical evolution and the horizontal relationship between them (as reflected in decision-making procedures). 
• The vertical relationship between the EU and the Member States (including the principles of supremacy, legality, subsidiarity, proportionality and loyalty). 
• The implementation and enforcement mechanisms of EU law (infringement proceedings, enforcement through national courts, review of EU action). 
• The position of the individual as a holder of fundamental rights and a citizen of the Union. 

In addition, throughout the course the students should have become familiar with legal thinking and legal reasoning, and should in particular be able to: 

• Find legal instruments in paper or electronic format. 
• Keep abreast of legal developments. 
• Read a legal document and extract the relevant information from it. 
• Construct a legal argument on a basic issue of EU law. 
• Use EU law to give an opinion on a legal problem.