A00015 The Economics and Law of European Union

At the end of the course the student will be able:

a) to gain a profound insight into the economic aspects of European integration;

b) to understand the main features of EU legal order;

c) to leverage, through the most appropriate channels, on international laws and rules in order to maximize EU

firms’ access to foreign markets;

d) to evaluate the implications of the debt crises and the various counteracting economic policy measures;

e) to appraise the dangers of deconstructing the European Union.

Students will learn how:

a. to analyse the economic and legal environment within which EU firms operate;

b. to assess the market access to the various partners of the European Union;

c. to think about the EU institutional structure with particular regard to the political institutions;

d. to organize collective public presentations.

The course aims at analyzing the economic and legal context within which the European Union has to operate and at providing the

critical knowledge needed to deal with each of the following broad issues:

the main stages of European integration, in particular the customs union, the Single market and the Monetary Union

the EU trade policy in its various strands: multilateral, bilateral and unilateral

the dangers of protectionism

the costs and benefits of a common currency

the monetary policy of the European Central Bank 

the economic significance of the convergence criteria

the fiscal policies in a monetary union

the sovereign debt crises

the centrifugal forces: the Brexit case

the EU institutional structure with particular regard to the political institutions 

the legislative powers of the EU

the sources of EU law and its enforcement

The course will run under a workshop format, including formal lectures by the instructors and presentations by the

students, who are required to offer an active participation. Some case studies will be discussed in class.

Materials will be posted on the net before classes. Students are responsible for

consulting on a regular basis the website of the course, where updates, additional material and slides

about the course are posted. Students are responsible for knowing the content of the material before coming to class

and for providing meaningful contributions to the discussion led by the instructors. In preparing for lectures students

are strongly encouraged to extend their study beyond required readings to related papers or newspaper articles. All

the most important and cutting-edge contemporary issues will be subject for discussion.

Grade is based on a final written exam. Active  class participation, including students’ presentations, will constitute an additional bonus.