Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 40 Hours Total |
| Seminars / Tutorials | 8 hours total. 4 x 1 hour per semester. |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 3 Hours Exam Candidates may bring into the examination unmarked copies of Rudden and Wyatt, EU Treaties and Legislation; Blackstone’s EU Treaties and Legislation; Sweet & Maxwell’s Statutes: EU Law; Palgrave Macmillan Core EU Legislation. Unmarked material which is permitted to be taken into the examination must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination. Highlighting and underlining are permitted. Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 100% |
| Supplementary Exam | 3 Hours Examination Candidates may bring into the examination unmarked copies of Rudden and Wyatt, EU Treaties and Legislation; Blackstone’s EU Treaties and Legislation; Sweet & Maxwell’s Statutes: EU Law; Palgrave Macmillan Core EU Legislation. Unmarked material which is permitted to be taken into the examination must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination. Highlighting and underlining are permitted. Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Be able to explain and demonstrate an understanding of the structure of European legal regimes and their relationship to each other.
2. Be able to explain the roles of the main European Institutions.
3. Be able to analyse the processes of legislation and development of legal principles at the European level.
4. Show evidence of having completed legal research in order to demonstrate a basic level of competence in locating and using both primary and secondary sources of European law.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of how different categories of European law interact with national legal systems.
6. Be able to explain the principles on which the single internal market is based and how these are reflected in Treaty provisions and developed in secondary legislation and case of the European Court of Justice.
7. Be able to apply the relevant legal principles to the resolution of theoretical and practical problems which raise issues relating to aspects of European Union Law.
Brief description
European Union (EU) law now comprises a very large body of rules which govern a wide spectrum of commercial and social activities at member state level and it is now impossible to gain a reasonable understanding of the law and legal system of the UK without a knowledge of the EU and other European legal orders. This module introduces students to the materials and methodologies of European legal orders and explains the principal features of the legal regimes based on the European Union and those arising from the Council of Europe Conventions. The module will focus particularly on the processes of law-making; the implementation and enforcement of EU law and policy; the legal accountability of the European Union institutions; the relationship between the EU and national systems, together with important areas of the substantive law of the EU, such as the legal rules governing the internal market.
Content
- The history of the development of the European Union; its relation to the Council of Europe and in particular the European Convention on Human Rights; the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
- The Nature of EU Law: The meaning and development of the Doctrine of the Supremacy of EU law; the Doctrine of direct effect; Competences and Categories of Law (Regulations, Directives, Decisions)
- The institutional structure of the European Union: Commission, Council and Parliament (composition and powers); the Composition and Institutional Structure of the EU Courts; the Role of the Advocate General; the Working Methods and Reasoning Process of the European Courts
- EU law-making processes: Formal Law-Making Processes and ‘Soft Law’
- Implementation and enforcement of European Union rules: the role of National Courts and the Preliminary Reference Procedure; Direct Effect; State Liability
- Accountability in EU law: Judicial Review of Union Action; Grounds of Judicial Review of Union Action; Commission Enforcement of EU Rules
- Internal Market Regulation: Free Movement Provisions (Persons, Goods and Services)
- Selected Substantive Policy Areas under the competence of the EU or areas of law pertaining to the regulation of the internal market; eg, Competition Law, Social Policy, areas
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Preparation for, and discussion, in seminars (Only written communication skills are assessed) |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation |
| Information Technology | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Learning throughout the module will be relevant to a career in the legal profession |
| Problem solving | Preparation for and discussion of problem-solving questions in seminars |
| Research skills | Post-lecture research and seminar preparation |
| Subject Specific Skills | Legal research: use of specifically designed legal databases as a resource for statute and case law |
| Team work | Seminar work: preparation and group discussions |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6