• 29. 08. 2022.
• 12. 09. 2022.

The course aims to examine the constitutional structure of the European Union, its gradual development through the European integration and the crucial role of the Court of Justice of the EU within that process. Its interactive lectures based on a case-study method will examine the EU's most intriguing constitutional features, such as the principles of direct effect and supremacy; the EU's supranationality and EU federalism; balancing the expansion of EU competences with the retained competences of the Member States; the use of general principles of EU law in CJEU's judicial lawmaking; or EU fundamental rights protection and EU citizenship beyond the market rationale. The course will critically engage with these interesting features of EU law, as well as the complexities arising out of the Union's unique supranationality and its (contested) federal and constitutional nature. By emphasizing the necessity of a methodological approach to the law, the course will lead students to understand the importance of legal interpretation, in general, and engage with the constitutional methods of legal reasoning employed by the Court of Justice when interpreting EU law, in particular.