Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ECL1001

 
TITLE Introduction to EU Law

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL Not Applicable

 
ECTS CREDITS 6

 
DEPARTMENT European and Comparative Law

 
DESCRIPTION The unit introduces the relationship between EU law and the law of the Member States and then it discusses the special characteristics of EU law. Then the unit focuses on EU institutions from a legal perspective. This will be followed by the administrative law of the EU dealing with the legal relationship between the EU institutions, the Members States and the EU citizens. The main topics include: the Treaty basis of EU law and EU competences, supremacy and direct effect, General Principles of EU law, the preliminary reference procedure, enforcement actions, the annulment action, among others. The final part of the unit would include reference to general substantive EU law including how the EU can make laws in different fields of law as well as introduce the free movement of goods as an example of EU substantive law.


Study-Unit Aims

The study-unit forms part of the Diploma in European Studies where besides instruction in politics and economics of the EU, students are introduced to European Law. This unit introduces students to the nature of the EU legal order and the legal principles underlying and regulating the workings on the institutions, as well as the main legal doctrines and Principles governing the relationship between the Union and its institutions and the Member States and the rights of EU citizens.


Learning Outcomes

Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to understand well:
1. The relationship between the law of the Member States and that of the EU;
2. How EU laws are made and their effect on and in the Member States, and on citizens of the Member States;
3. How enforcement of EU law takes place;
4. The rights of the individual under EU law;
5. The role of law in securing the free movement of goods and the customs union.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
1. understand the workings of the EU from the legal perspective.
2. participate with profit and contribute to the development of their field of specialization at national and EU level having a proper understanding of what falls under the competence of the EU and what does not, and how that competence can and should be exercised.
3. be able to track legislative developments and consider whether these are being properly passed, and later applied.
4. be in a position to prepare briefing and analysis papers also form the legal perspective and pass on this information as required.


Main Text/s and any supplementary readings
(availability at the Library or otherwise is indicated against each entry)

  • EU law / Stephen Weatherill and Paul Beaumont 1999 [available]

  • EU law : text, cases, and materials / Paul Craig and Grainne de Burca, 2008 [available]

  • European Union law by Penelope Kent 2006 [available]

  • A guide to European Union law P.S.R.F. Mathijsen 2004 [available]

  • Constitutional law of the European Union / by Koen Lenaerts and Piet van Nuffel ; Robert Bray, editor 2005 [available]

  • Wyatt and Dashwood's European Union law. - 5th ed. / Anthony Arnull ... [et al.] 2006 [available]

  • Procedural law of the European Union / by Koen Lenaerts, Dirk Arts and Ignace Maselis ; Robert Bray, editor 2006 [available]

  • European Union law in a global context : text, cases and materials / Trevor C. Hartley 2004 [available]

  • European Union law textbook / Elspeth Deards, Sylvia Hargreaves 2004 [available]

  • TC Hartley The foundations of European Community Law : an introduction to the constitutional and administrative law of the European Community 6th edn 2007 OUP [available]

  • EU law / Josephine Steiner, Lorna Woods and Christian Twigg-Flesner 9th edn 2006 OUP [available]

[ Later editions will be used and other textbooks may be recommended]

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES This study-unit is only offered to Institute for European Studies students.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 40%
Examination (2 Hours) Yes 60%

 
LECTURER/S Natasha Buontempo

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit