Class Economic and Currency Policy of the European Union

This Course Unit (CU) analyzes how European integration has driven economic, political, and social development, and how it was simultaneously shaped by institutional dynamics. It highlights the deep interplay between economy, politics, and society, demonstrating that the European Union (EU) transcends a mere commercial union to assert itself as a "common consciousness" and a model of socioeconomic governance. Tracing the historical stages - from the ECSC to the Economic and Monetary Union - it analyzes the conditioning factors, crises, and synergies of integration. Additionally, the program projects this reflection onto contemporary challenges regarding competitiveness, cohesion, sustainability, and the labor market, incorporating the most recent strategic debates on European autonomy (based on the Letta and Draghi Reports). Ultimately, it aims to empower students with a critical understanding of the EU and foster active European citizenship    

Not applicable

Analysis, deepening, and conceptual consolidation Module 1: Theories and evolution of economic integration Module 2: Early stages of integration: The ECSC - Post-war origins and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Module 3: Economic deepening of the EEC - European Economic Community Module 4: Common Market and Single Market: The four fundamental freedoms and their socioeconomic impacts Module 5: Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): Single currency (Euro), macroeconomic governance, and crisis management Module 6: Competitiveness, Sustainability, and Autonomy: Ecological transition, sustainability, and the Letta and Draghi Reports

Debates, simulations, and written exercises in class will be a driving force of the methodologies supporting the teaching-learning process. Lectures and/or study visits, with reports, will bring students closer to the tasks they will perform in their future professions.

Bulmer, Simon; Parker, Owen; Bache, Ian; George, Stephen; Burns, Charlotte (2020). Politics in the European Union. 5ª Edição, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cini, Michelle; Borragán, N. Pérez-Solórzano (2019). European Union Politics. 6ª Edição, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Draghi, Mario (2024). The Future of European Competitiveness ? A Competitiveness Strategy for Europe. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2025Moniz, Jorge Botelho (org.) (2022). O Futuro da União Europeia: Política, Economia, Estado de Direito e Religião . Col. Contributos. Lisboa: Edições Universitárias Lusófonas. Engelbrekt, Antonina B.; Bremberg, Niklas; Michalski, Anna; Oxelheim, Lars (2020). The European Union in a Changing World Order. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan. Nugent, Neill (2017). The Government and Politics of the European Union. 8ª Edição, Londres Palgrave Macmillan.