57802 - European Union Law

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed at offering a general overview of EU law. More precisely, the objective is to provide the students with the necessary tools for a full understanding of the complex mechanisms that govern its functioning. The course will be based on the Lisbon Treaty, entered into force on 1 December 2009.

Course contents

The programme will consist of: the European integration process; the strcture, objectives and fundamental values of the European Union; the institutional framework, the sources of law, the impact on national legal orders; the EU citizenship, the basic freedoms and the internal market, EU competition rules, the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and the external relations. These topics will analyzed in the light of the relevant case law and will be further investigated by consulting additional legal literature. The programme will be updated to the Lisbon Treaty.

Readings/Bibliography

For attenders a specific programme will be defined during the course. Textbooks and further readings will be determined accordingly. The relevant case-law can be found at http://curia.europa.eu. The detailed programme will be forwarded to the students at their institutional email address.

For non - attenders: R. Adam - A. Tizzano, Lineamenti di Diritto dell'Unione europea, Giappichelli, Torino, 2010 and U. Draetta, Elementi di  diritto dell'Unione europea. Parte Speciale. Il diritto sostanziale, Giuffré, Milano, 2010.

Teaching methods

The course will be highly interactive. Theoretical issues will be confronted with practical cases in order to allow the students to understand and verify how EU law is actually implemented. Seminars will be held during the course on specific topics by national and foreign experts, as well as by other members of the chair of European Union Law. Moreover, an ad hoc seminar will be organized in order to increase the students' ability to use the internet as a rapid and effective tool for the acquisition of information regarding the European Union (sources, events, debates, etc.).

Assessment methods

The students' learning will be constantly verified through discussions and debates. The final exam will be oral.

The course will take place during the second semester and attending students may therefore sit for the exam starting from May 2011.

In order to take the European Union exam students are required to have already passed the Constitutional Law and Private Law exams.

Note for the students who have attended the course in previous academic years

Given the fact the EU law is constantly evolving, students should prepare the programme using updated versions of the textbook indicated above.

Note for Erasmus – Socrates students: recognizing an exam taken abroad

It is possible, with the consent of the professor, to recognize advanced or specialized programmes on EU law attended and successfully passed in foreign universities but not a basic or institutional programme.

Please note that, when presenting the request, the student should be able to provide the professor with the following information: programme, textbooks and number of credits concerning the exam held or to be held abroad. The same applies to the students coming from other Italian universities or from other courses taught within the University of Bologna.

Note for Erasmus students

For the Erasmus students who intend to sit for the EU exam attendance is compulsory. The programme is identical to the one required from the Italian students.

Teaching tools

Links to further information

http://www.europa.eu

Office hours

See the website of Federico Casolari