3 ECTS credits
90 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 6001614FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
The course first provides an overview of the main international economic organisations, with particular attention for the structure and functioning of the "Bretton Woods" institutions (International Monetary Fund, World Bank). It also includes the basics of international investment law and protection offered by the International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The course then concentrates on the main contemporary international economic organisation, the World Trade Organization (WTO). After a brief introduction outlining the main theories and facts of international trade, the main trade obstacles, and a short history of trade law, the institutional aspects (structure and functioning) of the WTO are analysed, with special focus on the dispute settlement system and sustainable development.
The outline of the course, containing on-line references to the legal texts, and selected reading is distributed at the beginning of the course. Students are expected to have gone through the material before the scheduled lecture. Particularly important case law is highlighted and recommended for further study after the course.
Having followed the course, students should have thorough knowledge of the most important features of international economic law. This includes an understanding of how the most important international economic organisations function (objectives, principles, institutional frameworks, decision-making mechanisms, and most pertinent challenges). Moreover, they will have learned the core concepts of substantive trade and investment law as described above.
On this basis, they should be able to effectively address issues of international economic law for both academic and practical purposes. They should be able to form an opinion on contemporary trade and investment topics. Emphasis is laid on practical reasoning and a succinct and convincing way. The course should prepare students for working in European or international institutions, or in law firms.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The students will be evaluated on the basis of a final written exam. They are required to solve a case study with the help of relevant legal texts that will be circulated together with the exam.
The exam evaluates the student's ability to apply skills in a practical manner. Based on solid knowledge of the law and jurisprudence, the student is expected to formulate convincing replies to a number of questions that will be asked on the basis of the given facts. Students will have to take the role of a legal advisor, lawyer or judge, and reason accordingly.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of International and European Law: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)
Master of International and European Law: Standaard traject