The Political System of the European Union

Description

This course examines the political and institutional framework and the functioning of the European Union. It analyses the role of the main institutional organs of the Union, emphasizing the role of inter-institutional interdependence, the significance of outside interventions and the relations between the member states and the Union. Its main objective is to study the dynamics of European integration in the passage of time, in order to examine whether the current "system" is indeed a homogeneous political system, to define its form and characteristics and to assess its future evolution. This approach allows us to compare the main characteristics of the EU political system with the corresponding characteristics of national political systems in order to define and explain the ensuing differences and to better understand the unique nature of the European Union. COURSE MODULES 1. Conceptualizing the EU 2. Prinicples, aims, membership and competences of the EU 3. Theories of European integration 4. Supranational institutions of the EU 5. Intergovermental institutions of the EU 6. Law-making in the EU 7. The EU in the era of multiple crises: economic governance 8. The EU in the era of multiple crises: the EU budget 9. The EU in the era of multiple crises: foreign and security policy 10. The EU in the era of multiple crises: overview and prospects 11. Greece in the EU