1. Accueil
  2. EN
  3. Studying at ULB
  4. Find your course
  5. UE
DROI-O401

European Integration through Law

academic year
2023-2024
2024-2025

Course teacher(s)

Chloé Brière (Coordinator)

ECTS credits

5

Language(s) of instruction

english

Course content

The class is designed for students of European studies who may not have a legal background or limited knowledge of EU law. It aims at providing them with a comprehensive and dynamic overview of the European Union's legal system, without claiming to be exhaustive. 

Its objective is to illustrate through selected examples how European integration has been shaped through the adoption of legal instruments and case law, which participate in making the EU a unique legal framework. 

The course may notably address the following issues 
-  Lawmaking in the EU: key principles and sources 
-  Controlling the respect for EU law: judicial protection and the role of EU courts 
-  The force of EU law in national legal orders: primacy, direct and indirect effect of EU law
-  EU law in practice (abolition of internal borders and response to the Covid-19) 

Objectives (and/or specific learning outcomes)

The course is designed both for students who plan to work in “EU affairs” in Brussels or elsewhere and those who aim to undertake research in this field. Upon successful completion of this course, students will acquire the following knowledge and skills:

  • In-depth knowledge and understanding of key concepts of EU law, such as the principle of conferral of competences, direct effect, the primacy of EU law, free movement of persons, etc. 
  • An ability to read and understand EU legislative instruments and cases.
  • An ability to critically analyse and explain the legal arguments developed in judgments of the Court of Justice of the EU. 
  • A thorough understanding of the main controversies and topical issues related to European integration, such as tensions on the extent of the EU's competences in certain fields, the role of the CJEU in interpreting EU law, etc. 

Prerequisites and Corequisites

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

/

Teaching methods and learning activities

The course is composed of lectures, including eventually lectures given by guest lecturers. Lectures are structured around key topics, and for each topic, resources, such as academic articles, extracts of judgments of the Court of the justice of the EU, etc., will be provided online via the Virtual University. Extracts from judgments and the EU treaties will be the only documents allowed for the final exam (see below).  

Students are invited to follow closely and regularly topical issues in European affairs. A list of websites and resources will be shared via the Virtual University. 

Contribution to the teaching profile

The course aims firstly to provide students with general background knowledge about EU law, that can help them to understand the advantages and limits of its actions in specific policy fields. It also aims to shed light on the dynamics shaping the elaboration of EU law, building upon interdisciplinary research. 

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

A bibliography, as well as essential and additional readings, will be published on the Virtual University. A syllabus composed of extracts of judgments and EU treaties will be made available to the students. 

Course notes

  • Syllabus
  • Université virtuelle

Other information

Additional information

Classes are most often taking place on Tuesdays between 16.00 and 18.00, with a few exceptions. The schedule is available via Time Edit

The course's resources, including a detailed calendar of the classes, are available on the Virtual University page of the course (DROI-O401 2023-24). 

Contacts

Dr. Chloé Brière (chloe.briere@ulb.be)
 

Campus

Solbosch

Evaluation

Method(s) of evaluation

  • written examination

written examination

Written exam in January (1st session) / August (2nd session) (100%)

This exam will evaluate the main learning outcomes and the capacity of students to formulate legal arguments relying on various parts of the class.

The exam will be composed of two parts: one part with short knowledge-based questions and one part with essay questions. Further details will be communicated during the semester, and examples of past exams will be communicated. The students will be allowed to have at their disposal the extracts of the cases and the EU treaties analysed in class, as well as a language dictionary. 

The precise modalities of the exam (number of questions, time, etc.) will be communicated prior to the exam, and a questions & answers session will be organised in December. 

Language(s) of evaluation

  • english

Programmes