TITLE: The Political System of the European Union

BEARER OF THE COURSE: Radu CARP, SJD, Professor

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE CURRICULA

This course offers an introduction into the theories of European integration, of the constitutionalization process
and of the European Union institutions. The latest theoretical and practical developments in these fields are taking into
account. The first part of the course deals with the sources, the principles and the legal acts of the European Union. The
way in which the constitutional concepts of the EU Member States are translated at the level of the European Union is
discussed. In this context the relationship between internal law and EU law is under scrutiny.
The main theories related to the European integration (functionalism, intergovernmentalism, federalism, neo-
functionalism, liberal intergovernmentalism) are subsequently presented. Some projects for a new political organization
of the European Union (Joschka Fischer, Guy Verhofstadt, Nicolas Sarkozy, Vytautas Landsbergis) are discussed.
The theories on the constitutionalization process of the European Union (multilevel constitutionalism –
Ingolf Pernice; intertwined constitutionalism – Jacques Ziller) are presented in the context of a discussion about the
subsidiarity principle. This principle is regarded from a theoretical perspective but also from the way it manifest
itself (states – European Union; national parliaments – European Parliament). The way European Commission or the
Committee of Regions defines good governance is also discussed.
Another issue that is part of this course is the EU citizenship by taking into account the provisions of the
Lisbon Treaty and also the theoretical debate.
A special attention is given to the negotiation methods that have been used and are envisaged to be used for the
revision of the EU Treaties.
This course analyzes the main innovations of the Treaty of Lisbon and presents the most important reflections
on the institutional future of the European integration.
The EU main institutions (the Commission, the Council, the European Parliament) are presented in the
framework of this course according according to the way they function after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.
A special attention is given to the allocation of votes for each Member State in the Council and of seats in the European
Parliament. The solutions included in the Treaty of Lisbon but also alternative solutions are taking into account.
Even if this course does not have as purpose the EU common policies, an presentation of the EU external
action is being made, due to the institutional consequences that the reform of the CFSP and ESDP have. For the same
reason, the underway concept of European common diplomacy is discussed in the framework of the European External
Action Service creation.
The last part of the course is dedicated to a issue that are not directly related to the description of the EU
institutions but that may help for a better understanding of the current challenges related to Europeanization: the role of
the religion in the European public sphere.

GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE COURSE

Required readings

Radu CARP, Proiectul politic european. De la valori la acţiune comună, Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti, Bucureşti,
2006.
Guillaume COURTY, Guillaume DEVIN, Construcţia europeană, Editura C.N.I. “Coresi” S.A., Bucureşti, f.a.
Dacian Cosmin DRAGOŞ, Uniunea Europeanǎ. Instituţii. Mecanisme, C.H. Beck, ediţia 3, Bucureşti, 2007.
Sionaidh DOUGLAS – SCOTT, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Longman, London, 2002.
Simon HIX, Abdul G. NOURY, Gérard ROLAND, Democratic Politics in the European Parliament, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 2007.
Koen LENAERTS, Piet VAN NUFFEL, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 2005.
Paul MAGNETTE, Europa politicǎ. Cetǎţenie, constituţie, democraţie (translation by Ramona COMAN şi Ana Maria
DOBRE), Institutul European, Iaşi, 2003.
Paul MAGNETTE, Le régime politique de l’Union Européenne, 2e édition, Presses de la Fondation Nationale des
Sciences Politiques, Paris, 2006.
Ben ROSAMOND, Theories of European Integration, Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2000.
Loukas TSOUKALIS, What kind of Europe?, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003.
Diego VARELA, Guvernarea Uniunii Europene, translation by Lavinia ARMAŞU, Institutul European, Iaşi, 2008.

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Joseph H. H. WEILER, The Constitution of Europe, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999.

Recommended readings

Alberto ALESINA, Francesco GIAVAZZI, The Future of Europe - Reform or Decline, The MIT Press, Cambridge –
Massachusetts, 2006.
Radu CARP, Simona ŞANDRU, Dreptul la intimitate şi protecţia datelor cu caracter personal. De la acquis-ul
comunitar la legislaţia românească, All Beck, Bucureşti, 2004.
Radu CARP (coord.) Un suflet pentru Europa. Dimensiunea religioasǎ a unui proiect politic, Editura Fundaţiei
Anastasia, Bucureşti, 2005.
Radu CARP, Manuela NEVACI, Mariana NICOLAE, Camelia RUNCEANU, Nicolae SARAMANDU, Multilingvism
şi dialog intercultural în Uniunea Europeană. O viziune românească/Multilingualism and Intercultural Dialogue. A
Romanian perspective, Institutul European din România, Bucureşti, 2008.
Radu CARP, Dumnezeu la Ruxelles. Religia în spaţiul public european, Eikon, Cluj, 2009.
Paul CRAIG, Grainne DE BURCA, European Union Law – Text, Cases and Materials, 4th edition, Oxford University
Press, Oxford, 2007.
Gyula FÁBIÁN, Nicolae MIHU, Emöd VERESS, Parlamentul European, Wolters Kluwer, România, Bucureşti, 2007.
Luciana – Alexandra GHICA (coord.), Enciclopedia Uniunii Europene, Meronia, Bucureşti, 2005.
Jürgen HABERMAS, Sur l’Europe, Bayard, Paris, 2006.
Anthony GIDDENS, Europe in the Global Age, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2007.
Christian JOERGES, Yves MÉNY, Joseph H.H. WEILER (eds.), What Kind of Constitution for What Kind of Polity –
Responses to Joschka Fischer, European University Institute, 2000 (http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org).
Octavian MANOLACHE, Tratat de drept comunitar, ediţia 5, C.H. Beck, Bucureşti, 2006.
Iulia MOTOC, Uniunea Europeană: dreptul şi politica extinderii la Est, Paideia, Bucureşti, 2001.
Neil NUGENT, The Government and Politics of the European Union, 7th edition, Palgrave MacMillan, New York,
2010.
Ben TONRA, Thomas CHRISTIANSEN (eds.), Rethinking European Union Foreign Policy, Manchester University
Press, Manchester, 2004.
Henri WALLACE, William WALLACE, Mark A. POLLACK (eds.), Policy – Making in the European Union, 5th
edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005.

Academic journals

Romanian Journal for European Studies, European Law Review, Journal of Common Market Studies, Common Market
Law Review.

European Union Treaties

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, OJ C310, 16.12.2004.

Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ
C 83, 30.03.2010.

Internet resources

European Union : http://www.europa.eu

European Parliament : http://www.europarl.europa.eu
European Research Papers Archive: http://eiop.or.at/erpa
Centre for European Policy Studies: http://www.ceps.be
Federal Trust: http://www.fedtrust.co.uk
Arena – Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo: http://www.sv.uio.no/arena
Netherlands Institute for International Relations Clingendael: http://www.clingendael.nl
Jean Monnet Program: http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org
Institutul European din România: http://www.ier.ro

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STUDENT ASSESSEMENT CRITERIA

For having the course credits, the following issues will be taken into account:

● Active participation during the class – 30 %

● A mid-term semester essay on the following issues :

a) the definition of an electoral campaign strategy of a political party taking part at the European Parliament
elections;
b) a solution for a fair representation of the EU Member States in the European Parliament ;
c) a solution for a fair representation of the EU Member States in the Council – 40 %;

● Participation at the simulation organized during the semester on the election of the President of the European
Council – 30 %.

The students that at the end of the semester will have the credits are entitled to take an written examination.

THE COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1
The Sources and the Principles of EU Law. The EU Legal Acts
Required readings: Koen LENAERTS, Piet VAN NUFFEL, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Sweet
& Maxwell, London, 2005, pp. 100 - 138;
Dacian Cosmin DRAGOŞ, Uniunea Europeanǎ. Instituţii. Mecanisme, C.H. Beck, ediţia 3, Bucureşti, 2007, pp. 94 -
120;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 288 - 292.

Week 2
The Relationship between Internal Law, Member States Constitutions and EU Law
Required readings: Jacques ZILLER, National constitutional concepts in the new Constitution for Europe,
European Constitutional Law Review, vol. I, issue 2/2005, pp. 247 - 271; issue 3/2005, pp. 452 - 480;
Camillo B. SCHUTTE; Guy CARCASSONNE; Jan Herman REESTMAN – Case Notes, European Constitutional Law
Review, op. cit., pp. 281 - 317.

Week 3
Theories of European Integration
Required readings: Ben ROSAMOND, Theories of European Integration, Palgrave MacMillan, New York,
2000, pp. 136 - 147;
Andrew MORAVCSIK, Is there a ‘Democratic Deficit’ in World Politics? A Framework for Analysis, Government and
Opposition, vol. 39, issue 2/2004, pp. 336 - 363;
Radu CARP, Integrarea europeană şi teoriile ei (I: funcţionalismul lui David Mitrany; II: interguvernamentalismul; III:
federalismul; IV: neofuncţionalismul), mss.;
Speech by Joschka Fischer at the Humboldt University in Berlin, 12 May 2000: From Confederacy to
Federation : Thoughts on the Finality of European Integration, http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/papers/00/
joschka_fischer_en.rtf.
Intervention de Nicolas Sarkozy devant Amis de l’Europe, http://www.friendsofeurope.org/download/
Sarkozy_080906.pdf;
Guy VERHOFSTADT, The United States of Europe, Federal Trust, London, 2006, pp. 7 - 75;
Katharina GNATH, Guy Verhofstadt and the ‘United States of Europe’. The Eurozone as a new core Europe?,
European Policy Brief, issue no. 22/2006, http://www.fedtrust.co.uk/admin/uploads/PolicyBrief22.pdf;
Vytautas LANSBERGIS, Crossroad of Europe, Vilnius, 2008, pp. 169 - 181.

Week 4
Constitutionalism and subsidiarity in the European Union. The concept of good governance

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 Required readings: Ingolf PERNICE, Multilevel Constitutionalism in the European Union, European Law
Review, no. 27/2002, pp. 511 - 529;
Paul MAGNETTE, Le régime politique de l’Union Européenne, 2e édition, Presses de la Fondation Nationale des
Sciences Politiques, Paris, 2006, pp. 90 - 96;
Treaty on European Union, Art. 5;
Protocol no. 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon;
Commission of the European Communities, European Governance. A White Paper, COM (2001) 428 final, Brussels,
25.7.2001;
Communication from the Commission, Towards a reinforced culture of consultation and dialogue - General principles
and minimum standards for consultation of interested parties by the Commission, COM (2002) 704 final Brussels,
11.12.2002;
The Committee of Regions’ White Paper on Multilevel Governance, http://web.cor.europa.eu/epp/Ourviews/Documents/
White%20Paper%20on%20MLG.pdf.

Week 5
The Citizenship of the European Union
Required readings: Treaty on European Union, Art. 9;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 20 - 25;
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Art. 39 - 46;
Sionaidh DOUGLAS – SCOTT, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Longman, London, 2002, pp. 479 - 514;
Paul MAGNETTE, Europa politicǎ. Cetǎţenie, constituţie, democraţie (translated by Ramona COMAN şi Ana Maria
DOBRE), Institutul European, Iaşi, 2003, pp. 7 - 82;
Jo SHAW, Sovereignty at the Boundaries of the Polity, ARENA working paper 02/16,
http://www.sv.uio.no/arena/english/research/publications/arena-publications/workingpapers/working-papers2002/
wp02_16.htm.

Week 6
Methods of negotiation for changing the institutional framework of the European Union
Required readings: Treaty on European Union, Art. 48;
Radu CARP, Constitutionalization of the European Union, so far and beyond, in (edited by) Silvia MARTON, Europe
in its Making - A Unifying Perception on Europe, Institutul European, Iaşi, 2006, pp. 23 - 31;
Derek BEACH, Towards a new method of constitutional bargaining? Federal Trust online paper 13/03, 2003;
Thomas RISSE, Mareike KLEINE, Assessing the Legitimacy of the EU’s Treaty Revision Methods, Journal of Common
Market Studies, vol. 45, No.1, March 2007, pp. 69 - 80.

Week 7
Treaty of Lisbon. The current reflection on the future of the European integration
Required readings: Radu CARP, Uniunea Europeană, la ora compromisului (anti)constituţional, mss.;
Sergio DELLAVALLE, Constitutionalism beyond the Constitution : The Treaty of Lisbon in the Light of Post-National
Public Law, Jean Monnet Working Paper 03/09, http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org;
Jürgen HABERMAS, Sur l’Europe, Bayard, Paris, 2006, pp. 57 - 70;
Alberto ALESINA, Francesco GIAVAZZI, The Future of Europe - Reform or Decline, The MIT Press Cambridge -
Massachusetts, 2006, pp. 119 - 131; 165 - 172;
Anthony GIDDENS, Europe in the Global Age, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2007, pp. 199 - 230.

Week 8
The Commission of the European Union
Required readings: Dacian Cosmin DRAGOŞ, op. cit., pp. 44 - 52;
Treaty on European Union, Art. 17;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 244 - 250;

Week 9
The European Union Council and the Council. Simulation - the Election of the President of the European Union
Council
Required readings: Dacian Cosmin DRAGOŞ, op. cit., pp. 52 - 60;
Treaty on European Union, Art. 15 - 16;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 235 - 243;
Protocol no. 36 on transitional provisions, annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon;

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Werner KIRSCH, Moshé MACHOVER, Wojciech SŁOMCZYNSKI, Karol ZYCZKOWSKI, Voting in the EU Council
– A Scientific Approach, http://www.ruhr_uni_bocum.de/mathphys/publikationen/voting.pdf;
Dan S. FELSENTHAL, Moshé MACHOVER, Analysis of QM Rule adopted by the EU Inter-Governmental Conference
Brussels, 18 June 2004, LSE Research Online, http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/archive/00000431;
Idem, Qualified Majority Voting Explained, Homo Economicus, Institute of SocioEconomics, vol. 21, 2004, pp. 573 -
576.

Week 10
The European Parliament. Elections for the European Parliament
Required readings: Treaty on European Union, Art. 13;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 223 - 234;
Koen LENAERTS, Piet VAN NUFFEL, Constitutional Law of the European Union, Sweet & Maxwell, London, 2005,
pp. 389 - 409;
Gyula FÁBIÁN, Nicolae MIHU, Emöd VERESS, Parlamentul European, Wolters Kluwer, România, Bucureşti, 2007,
pp. 109 - 114;
Simon HIX, Abdul G. NOURY, Gérard ROLAND, Politica democratică în Parlamentul European, traducere de
Mihaela Coprean şi Raluca Pop, CA Publishing, Cluj Napoca 2010, pp. 56 - 67;
Council Decisions 76/787, 2002/772; Council Directive 93/109;
ECJ Decisions: C-145/04 (Kingdom of Spain v. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), C-300-04
(M.G. Eman and O.B. Sevinger v. College van burgemeester en wethouders van Den Haag).
Jo SHAW, The Political Representation of Europe’s Citizens: Developments, European Constitutional Law Review, no.
4/2008, pp. 162 - 186.

Week 11
The EU Court of Justice
Treaty on European Union, Art. 19;
Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 251 - 281;
Protocol no. 3 on the Statute of the European Union Court of Justice, annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon;
Diego VARELA, Guvernarea Uniunii Europene, traducere de Lavinia Armaşu, Institutul European, Iaşi, 2008, pp. 95 -
112.

Week 12
The External Action of the European Union. The “Wider Europe”, Eastern Partnership and Black Sea Synergy
Initiatives
Required readings: Treaty on European Union, Art. 21 - 41;
Brendan DONNELLY, Stephen HASSELER, Decision-making in European external policy, Federal Trust Report,
2006;
Knud Erik JØRGENSEN, Theorising the European Union’s foreign policy, în Ben TONRA, Thomas CHRISTIANSEN
(eds.), Rethinking European Union Foreign Policy, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2004, pp. 10 - 25;
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, Wider Europe – Neighbourhood: A
New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours, COM (2003) 104 final;
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, Eastern Partnership, SEC (2008)
2974;
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, Black Sea Synergy – A New
Regional Cooperation Initiative, COM (2007) 160 final.

Week 13
The Common European Diplomacy and the European External Service Action
Required readings: Treaty on European Union, Art. 27, para. 3;
Council Decision establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service 2010/427/EU,
Jo L 201/30 - 40, 3.8.2010.
Radu CARP, Un concept în formare: diplomaţia comună europeană, în Radu CARP, Proiectul politic european. De la
valori la acţiune comună, Editura Universităţii din Bucureşti, Bucureşti, 2006, pp. 41 - 63;
Brian HOCKING, David SPENCE, Towards a European diplomatic system?, Netherlands Institute of International
Relations ‘Clingendael’, Discussion Papers in Diplomacy, no. 98/June 2005, http://www.clingendael.nl/publications/
2005/20050600_cli_paper_dip_issue_98.pdf;

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Jeannette LADZIK, A European diplomatic service, European Policy Brief, issue no. 20/2006, http://
www.fedtrust.co.uk/admin/uploads/Policy Brief20.pdf.

Week 14
Religion in the European Public Sphere
Required readings: Treaty on the functioning of the European Union, Art. 17;
Radu CARP, Religion in the Public Sphere: Is There a Common European model?, Journal for the Study of Religions
and Ideologies, vol. 10, no. 28, Spring 2011, pp. 3 - 26;
Bérengère MASSIGNON, La contribution des structures européennes religieuses et laïques a l’émergence d’un espace
public européen, în François FORET, L’espace public européen à l’épreuve du religieux, Editions de l’Université Libre
de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, 2007, pp. 209 - 228.