After successful completion of the course, students are able to
- appreciate the historical evolution of the European national states to a "Federation" and the resulting special construction and situation of the European Union,
- understand the structure of the EU and its institutions like Council, Commission, Parliament, Court of Justice, Court of Auditors, European Central Bank, Agencies etc. and the differences between EU and national governance systems,
- assess the most important Community Policies pertaining to e.g. the Single Market, foreign trade, regional development, the EURO, agriculture, fisheries, environment, climate, energy, consumer protection in respect to their significance for the European citizen,
- recognize the present limits of Community Policies in fields like internal security, social cohesion, military cooperation or foreign affairs, and
- develop ideas and visions for the future development of Europe.
1. The idea of Europe, a historical sketch. 2. The historical evolution of the European Union from the Treaties of Rome (1959) till the Treaty of Lisbon (2009). 3. Institutions and Governance of the European Union. 4. The budget of the European Union. 5. Major policies, activity areas and future challenges of the European Union.
