The Governing System of the European Union

Presentation

The curricular unit aims to describe how the European Union's political system works, how decisions are taken and how they are implemented.  It explains the notion of a political system in general, using the tools of Political Science.  In the end, students should have a  comprehensive knowledge of the decision-making system of the European Union. 

Part of this Programme

European Studies and International Relations

Level of Qualification|Semesters|ECTS

| Semestral | 6

Year | Type of course unit | Language

1 |Mandatory |Português

Code

ULHT450-14667

Recommended complementary curricular units

The Construction of the European Union

Introduction to Political Science

Prerequisites and co-requisites

n/a

Professional Internship

Não

Syllabus

1- Political systems: key elements
2 - The EU Governance System: conceptual definition; the elements of the system;
-European Commission: powers of initiative, decision-making, and implementation;
- European Council: functioning and powers; Implementation;
- Council of the European Union: composition and tasks and powers; to COREPER;
- European Parliament: the powers of the European Parliament; the political parties of the European Parliament;
- Court of Justice: composition; powers;
- System policies: redistributive, regulatory, social, macroeconomic and global;
- Public opinion: political cleavages;
- Pressure groups: employers' associations, trade unions;
3- The future of the European Union

Objectives

In the end, the students should:

- Identify the elements of a political system;

- Explain the political system of the European Union.

-  Describe the powers of the European institutions, how decisions are taken, who initiates legislation, approves laws and implements them.

-  Make statements about the system.

Teaching methodologies and assessment

There will always be theoretical moments structured by a practical dimension. At the beginning of classes, there will be a moment for students to ask questions and provide statements. Students will be asked opinions about the relevant topics from the previous class. There will also be room to comment on the day by day European Union events, especially at the beginning of classes. Theoretical classes will be supported by scientific slides and scripts provided by the teacher. There will be two evaluation moments. A long report on one of the  States of the European Union (40%) and a final evaluation test (60%). 

References

Cini, M. & Borragán, N. P., 2019, European Union Politics, Oxford University Press

Hix, Simon, Hojland Bjorn, 2011, The Political System of the European Union,   3rd edition, Basingstoke:  Palgrave Macmillan

Martins, A.M. (2013). Direito da União Europeia. Coimbra: Almedina.

Neill Nugent, (2017), The Government and Politics of the European Union, 8ªedition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Neutel, Fernanda, 2019, A Construção da União Europeia, da II Guerra Mundial à Emergência de uma Fronteira externa comum para o Século XXI, Lisboa, Edições Sílabo

Silva, António, M. (2013), Sistema Político da União Europeia: arquitetura, funcionamento e teorização, Lisboa: Almedina

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