Overview

This course examines the multi-level governance system of the European Union.

Its purpose is to make sense of the intricate web of institutions, actors, rules and processes involved in European integration and EU policy-making. In doing so, its looks both at the EU’s institutional set-up, the role of its member states as well as European non-governmental actors, such as civil society actors. The extent to which the different actors can exert power and impact the policy-making process within the EU is thoroughly discussed.

The course also explores and theorises the EU’s role on the global stage, as well as how it deals with European and global challenges. Attention is drawn to both internal and external challenges the EU faces, by discussing contemporary contestations of European governance.

Case studies from the environmental policy domain will be presented to illustrate how EU policy-making works in practice.

Six modules are developed to guide you through this learning journey. Each of the modules will approach the learning objectives by considering the EU from a multi-level perspective. We will come back time and time again to the synergies, and possible tensions, between the EU and the Member States, and the EU and other global or regional actors.

The six modules are divided up as follows:

The Nature of the EU: we will tackle questions about what the EU is, what it is not, and how the EU came to be as it is today.
The EU's Institutions: we will delve into the functioning and evolution of the main decision-making EU institutions.
Policy-making in the EU: we will highlight the main policy-making procedures, actors and processes that occur in the EU.
Stakeholders and their role in European governance: we will discuss the role of lobbyists, EU citizens and EU elections.
The European Union in World Politics: we will consider the EU's own objectives on the global stage and its multilateral and bilateral relations in the world.
Contestation in the EU: we will explore periods of crises and contestation in the EU, and how the bloc has responded.

Syllabus

Module 1: The Nature of the EU

Determine the nature and evolution of the EU, both theoretically and in practice
Assess the potential scenarios for further EU integration
Discuss the two main approaches to theorising EU integration, namely neo-functionalism and intergovernmentalism.

Module 2: The EU's Institutions

Understand the historic evolution of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council, the Council of the EU and the Court of Justice of the EU
Explain the internal organisation and roles of these key EU institutions
Identify the role of the various EU bodies and agencies in helping the EU to fulfil its tasks

Module 3: Policy-making in the EU

Identify how the EU makes decisions in various areas (competences)
Identify which kinds of (non-)legislative acts EU institutions can adopt
Discuss the methods by which the EU and the member states adopt legislation ( Community method; intergovernmental method; open method of coordination; centralised decision-making)
Explain the actors and processes involved in the EU policy cycle and agenda-setting

Module 4: Stakeholders and their Role in European Governance

Discuss the role of citizens, lobbyists, EU political parties in the EU, in theory and in practice
Understand how regional and local governments defend their interest at European level
Assess European elections, in particular the funding parties, the potential of transnational lists, and the spitzenkandidaten process

Module 5: The European Union in World Politics

Understand the formal objectives of the EU’s foreign policy (EUFP) and the ambiguity in them
Identify the four dimensions of EUFP: CFSP; CSDP; external actions and the internal dimension of internal policies
Explain how the historical background has contributed to the main areas of tension in the foreign policy setting
Identify the role of the main institutional actors and instruments in EUFP
Discuss the features, advantages and limitations of different theoretical lenses to analyse EUFP (Power; Actorness; Multilateralism; decentring)
Explore the main features of the EU’s bilateral relationships with China, Russia and the US and of its multilateral relations with the UN, WTO and NATO

Module 6: Contemporary Contestation of European Governance

Understand the concept of contestation in present European and global governance
Identify how Member states contest the EU as a political and legal order
Discuss how different European integration theories consider the impact of contestation on the EU in times of crises
Assess the EU’s strategic responses to contestation throughout periods of crises