European Public law points out the main European Treaties through which the European Communities and the European Union have arisen and developed. It focuses on the organisation and the decision-making process in the EU, within a framework of sharing and balancing of powers. It also exams the main European legislative sources of law and their relationship with national sources of law.
In particular, European Public lectures deal with the following subjects:
- Theoretical introduction about the concepts of State and Sovereignty. Relationship between international Treaties and national law. The European Union as a supranational organisation rather than an international organisation.
- Brief historical description of the main international organisation arose after the Second World War (NATO, Council of Europe, ECHR, EDC; WEU; OEEC)
- Treaties on the European Communities (ECSC; EEC; EAEC)
- European Communities developments through the main content of the following Treaties: 1965’s Merger Treaty; 1966’s Luxembourg Compromise; 1986’s SEA; 1992’s Maastricht Treaty; 1997’s Treaty of Amsterdam; 2000’s Charter of Fundamental Rights; 2001’s Treaty of Nice; 2004’s Treaty on a Constitution for Europe; 2007’s Treaty of Lisbon; 2012’s Treaty on Stability, coordination and governance in the economic and monetary Union;
- European Union competence (principle of conferral; principles of subsidiarity and proportionality)
- European Union form of government (sharing and balancing of powers; mutual sincere cooperation)
- Democratic principle in the EU (citizens’ initiative; the role of National Parliaments, the role of the European Parliament)
- European institutions (appointment, organisation, competence, functioning of European Parliament, European Council, European Commission, Council of ministers and Court of Justice; brief introduction of ECB and advisory bodies)
- European sources of law (Treaties and legislative acts such as directives, regulations and decisions) and their decision-making process (ordinary legislative procedure and special legislative procedures)
- Ordinary revision procedure and simplified revision procedures of the European Treaties
- European fundamental rights (introduction)
- Relationship between European Union law and national law