Face-to-face , second term, 30 hours of theory.

Second term
Monday from 11:00 to 13:00 at 119 Marais 1100

French

This course aims to provide a detailed mapping of main EU organisations, and the principal systemic relationships and interactions linking them. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the system's political dynamics as well as both the formal and informal European decision-making process.

For the Bachelor in Law :

For the Bachelor in History :

For the Bachelor in Information and Communication :

For the Bachelor in Philosophy :

For the Bachelor in Economics and Management :

For the Bachelor in Political Sciences: General :

For the Bachelor in Sociology and Anthropology :

For the Bachelor in French and Romance Languages and Letters : General :

The course provides a complete mapping of the European political system. It covers both European ‘players', whether European (as set out in the European Treaties), (the Commission, the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Court of Justice, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, the Central Bank, the Investment Bank, etc.) or national ‘players' (national groups in the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, etc.). It also covers ‘non-institutional' players such as (political parties, different special interest groups, and think tanks, etc.). These ‘players' are studied through the lens of political science, and the course provides a useful complement to courses focused on European institutional law. The course looks in particular at the following: the nature of the legitimacy of the European political system, how consensus is reached within European decision making processes, and also the structure of, and continuity and change in, relations of power.

While rejecting an analysis of the EU as a sui generis organisation, the course highlights the risk of institutional isomorphism. This involves analysing the European political system based on categories and preconceptions drawn from the academic study of the political systems of nation States.

The course plan:

General introduction to the idea of « player » in the political system.

Part 1: The players in the «institutional triangle» : the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament.

Part 2: The EU's other institutions and bodies: the European Council, the European Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the European Central Bank, the Court of Auditors, the European Ombudsman.

Part 3: Non-institutional ‘players': definition and typology of special interest groups, how such groups operate within the European system, and public opinion as a ‘player' in the system.

The course described above is delivered through lectures. Lectures include the presentation of theory and of empirical data (legal, political and sociopolitical) on each of the themes tackled. The PowerPoint slides used during lectures cover the ‘bones' of the course and include the illustrative materials used (tables/diagrams). They are made available via eSaintLouis.

The written final examination aims to test students' understanding of the concepts and ideas presented during the lectures. Examination questions will ask the student to think through and analyse a topical issue, which assumes a solid understanding of the basics of the subject matter. The student could, for example, be asked to critically discuss a theme currently in the news by drawing on and applying the relevant concepts, theories and typologies learned during the course.

ANDERSEN, Svein, ELIASSEN, Kjell, Making Policy in Europe, London, Sage, 2001.

BALME, Richard, CHABANET, Didier, WRIGHT, Vincent (dir.), L'action collective en Europe/Collective Action in Europe, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2002.

BOMBERG, Elizabeth, STUBB, Alexander (eds.), The European Union: How Does it Work, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003.

BRÉCHON, Pierre, CAUTRÈS, Bruno, Analyse comparative des données socio-politiques: les enquêtes eurobaromètres, Paris, L'Harmattan, 1999.

CHRISTIANSEN, Thomas, The role of committees in the policy-process of the European Union: legislation, implementation and deliberation, Northampton, Edward Elgar, 2007.

CLAEYS, Paul-Henri, GOBIN, Corinne, SMETS, Isabelle, WINAND, Pascaline (eds.), Lobbysme, pluralisme et intégration européenne/Lobbying, pluralism and european integration, Bruxelles, Presses interuniversitaires européennes, 1998.

CORBETT, Richard, The European Parliament, London, John Harper, 2007.

COSTA, Olivier, Le Parlement européen, assemblée délibérante, Bruxelles, Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, collection « Études européennes », 2001.

COSTA, Olivier, BRACK, Nathalie, Le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne, collection ULB Lire Références, Bruxelles, Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles, 2011.

DEHOUSSE, Renaud, La Cour de Justice des Communautés européennes, Paris, Montchrestien, 1997.

DELWIT, Pascal, KULAHCI, Erol, Les fédérations européennes de partis : Organisation et influence, Bruxelles, Éditions de l'université de Bruxelles, 2001.

DONY, Marianne, Après la réforme de Lisbonne : les nouveaux traités européens, Bruxelles, Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, collection « Études européennes », 2007.

DRUESNE, Gérard, Droit de l'Union européenne et politiques communautaires, Paris, Presses universitaires de France, 2006.

GREENWOOD, Justin, Interest Representation in the European Union, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

HAYES-RENSHAW, Fiona, WALLACE, Helen, The Council of Ministers, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1997.

HIX, Simon, The Political System of the European Union, London, Macmillan, 2005.

JOANA, Jean, SMITH, Andy, Les commissaires européens : technocrates, diplomates ou politiques ?, Paris, Presses de sciences Po, 2002.

JUDGE, David, EARNSHAW, David, The European Parliament, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

KASSIM, Hussein, MENON, Anand, WRIGHT, Vincent (eds.), The National Co-ordination of European Policy, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001.

MAGNETTE, Paul, Le régime politique de l'Union européenne, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2006.

MOREAU DEFARGE, Philippe, Les institutions européennes, Paris, Armand Colin, 2002.

PETERSON, John, SHACKELTON, Michael (eds.), The Institutions of the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006.

QUERMONNE, Jean-Louis, Le système politique de l'Union européenne, Paris, Montchrestien, 2006.

SAURUGGER, Sabine (dir.), Les modes de représentation dans l'Union européenne, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2003.

SAURUGGER, Sabine, Européaniser les intérêts ? Les groupes d'intérêt économiques et l'élargissement de l'Union européenne, Paris, L'Harmattan, 2003.

SCHARPF, Fritz, Gouverner l'Europe, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2000.

SCHMITT, Hermann, THOMASSEN, Jacques (eds), Political Representation and Legitimacy in the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999.

WALLACE, Helen, WALLACE, William, Policy-Making in the European Union, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005.

PowerPoints and other documents (which may be handed out in class) are made available via the course's website.