Governance of the EU

This module explores the European Union’s constitutional system and governance structures. We will discuss the unique nature of the EU as an integrated multilevel legal order of European nation states in which, in certain areas, powers have been transferred to federal institutions. This will help us to understand the impact of EU law within national systems and externally.

Theories of federalism, functionalism and institutionalism will be explored. Notions of the legal and political accountability of the EU as a “system of governance” are a core feature of the module. The use of law as a mechanism for integration, and the role of the courts in such a process, will be examined. This subject can be studied as a stand alone module or as a companion to other modules in the LLM European Law and Public International Law.