6 ECTS credits
150 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 6014255FEW for working students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.
This course explores the two core elements of the European economy -- the internal market and competition. These areas entail the governance of the public (state) and private (company) sides of the economy. The analysis takes an interdisciplinary approach that integrates political science, economics and law. Considering the turbulent state of the European economy and democratic governance, the course pays special attention to how the classic “hard economic issues” are increasingly intertwining – also at the international level – with the governance of softer non-economic matters such as social concerns, environmental standards and data protection.
The course starts off by deepening the students’ understanding of the economics of the four freedoms. The discussion will then shift to the general policies and law of the EU’s internal market (e.g. Arts 34, 36, 110 and 114 TFEU), and further to concrete aspects that are fundamental the Union’s competitiveness and creation of jobs, such as the Digital Single Market and the renewable energy market. In terms of the competition, the course also begins with core economics, exploring main notions such as efficiency, welfare and market power. The main schools of thought of competition policy will also be covered before expanding to key EU competition law and policies in two key areas: restrictive agreements (101 TFEU) and the abuse of dominant position (102 TFEU). Comparative perspectives to the United States and global economy are offered throughout the course.
Overall, this course is designed to offer a multi-disciplinary vision on the subject area in a Socratic (“interrogative”) teaching mode that includes a role play and innovative blended learning methods (e.g. “flipped classroom” mode that involves e.g. posting relevant preparatory material (text, video, audio) on an online platform in advance). It draws together and builds upon the previous EuroMaster courses, and makes use of EU experts working in Brussels, invited as guest lecturers in selected lectures of the course. The students are expected to prepare for and to actively participate in the discussion. The course evaluation is partly (20 % ) based on the student’s activeness in the classroom.
A detailed list of the course materials, which include the slides on the lectures as well as selected reading, is listed below per lecture. In whole the reading material is around 300 pages. Lecture slides, which greatly overlap with the reading material, are roughly 200 pages in length. The entirety of the course material (including readings, (narrated) presentations, videos, etc) and the related interaction (assignments) are delivered on an online platform.
Reflective questions on the most important themes are discussed via the learning environment. Examples of exam questions are discussed in the class and with the help of the online learning environment.
The course equips students with knowledge, skills and an enquiring attitude to understand and address matters of European internal market and competition policy, law and economics during their subsequent professional careers.
The obtained knowledge allows the students to independently and critically address issues of internal market and competition policy for both academic and practical purposes.
The course also provides the students with the basic skills to deal with concrete enforcement questions relating to e.g. cases of barriers to the free movement of goods and services, restrictive agreements between undertakings and the abusive behavior of dominant companies. The skills are enhanced from the viewpoints of the market actors as well as the public authorities.
The students obtain an appreciation of the functioning of EU’s internal market and competition policy as the economic core of the entire integration project, as well as the public and private constrains and cohesion related questions that the integration process is faced with.
The students will also learn to better engage in the English language in basic tasks relating to EU economic policy, such as drafting and communicating memoranda, policy analyses and position papers, and advising non-economic decision makers.
All in all, the knowledge, skills and critically enquiring attitudes develop the students as interlocutors in a sustainable European economy.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 80% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 20% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
The students will be evaluated on the basis of their participation in class and in the blended-learning written online assignments offered as flipped class-room (20 %; formative evaluations), and a final written exam (summative evaluation). The questions of the written exam will be:
All parts are based on the lectures and/or the assigned reading material. The short questions test the student’s knowledge and insight in understanding, remembering and explaining key issues of the course. The case study exam tests the student’s ability to apply his/her skills in a practical, real-life simulating situation in a coherent and persuasive manner.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of European Integration: Track 1: European Economy - Migration and Europe
Master of European Integration: Track 2: European Economy - European External Relations and Security Policy
Master of European Integration: Track 3: European Economy - European Environmental Governance